0. british studies (student textbook)

British Studies

Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking Topics For Intermediate ESL Learners.

Student's Textbook (with VCD’s and CD)

Peter Stork

British Studies

Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking Topics For Intermediate ESL Learners.

Student's Textbook (with VCD’s and CD)

Acknowledgements

1. The work and benefits of this textbook are in dedication to the commitment, perseverance and sacrifice of all volunteers who work diligently to help people and organisations achieve more of their potential and well being.

2. The production of the textbook, CD and DVD was made possible by the generous support of Australian Volunteers International (AVI) to Nha Trang University, Khánh Hoà Province, Vietnam. The work of AVI is made possible by funding from the Australian Government through its agency AusAid.

3. The contents of the textbook were researched, edited and written from select material from the following sources: The BBC, Britain Close-Up (Longman), Britain, England Scotland and Wales (Analytical Software Inc.), The Country and the City (British Council), Discovering England (Quesar) Education in England: a brief history (Gillard D; 2007), Google Images, Listening Extra (Cambridge), MSN Encarta, YouTube, What's It Like (Cambridge) and Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia.

Notes

1. Copyright laws are not recognised in The Socialist Republic of Vietnam. 2. This textbook, CD and DVD are a 'not for profit' production. They are not to be traded or used for any commercial gain and should be made freely available to anyone seeking educational or teaching materials on the subject matter.

Author

Peter Stork, PhD (Science), BSc (Agr.), Grad. Dip. Ed.

ESL Teacher-Trainer Faculty of English, Nha Trang University, Nha Trang, Khánh Hoà Province, Vietnam. http://www.ntu.edu.vn/default.aspx?lang=1 >Faculty>General Sciences>Major-English>Introduction>Personnel December, 2009.

Dear Student, The following pages outline the reading, writing, listening and speaking topics and materials for British Culture studies in your third or fourth year at Nha Trang University. I hope you enjoy this textbook, CD and DVD. They are designed to help you improve your English skills while learning about the culture of the British and their country. The CD has fifteen topics and the DVD has thirty five topics relevant to each chapter. They provide you with exercises in listening and will also give you a greater understanding of the readings in each chapter. All important words and phrases in each chapter of this textbook are in bold font to help you focus on learning the meaning of unfamiliar words and phrases. You have to understand all the words and phrases in all the reading material by using a dictionary. You must do this before a lesson in British Culture. In Chapter 1, six listening exercises describe and explain many historically famous places, events and people in Britain. Before you listen to these exercises, you must learn the meaning of words and phrases used in the dialogue of each exercise. Therefore, first use a dictionary to fully understand the vocabulary in each exercise. An online dictionary such as http://dictionary.reference.com/ can also help you with the meaning of most words and their pronunciation. Similarly, you must understand the meaning of words and phrases in the readings in Chapter's 2 to 10. If you are not successful in understanding the meaning of words and phrases in these texts, then ask your teacher at your next lesson. If you do not follow this learning method, you will not understand the reading and listening exercises. Therefore, you will not be able to fully appreciate or comprehend the culture of the British. You must also try to answer all questions in each section of this book to test your knowledge and understanding of each topic. You should ask your teacher for help after doing this homework. Finally, remember to bring your dictionary to class for all lessons. If you follow all the above instructions diligently, you will learn well from this textbook. In addition, the exercises in this textbook will also help you improve your communication skills in other tourism and translation topics. Wishing you the very best in your studies and in your future career!

Mr Peter, December, 2009.

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Contents of Textbook

Chapter

Title Exercise

Section Page

CD

DV

D

Skill

R W L S

1 Sightseeing Britain

1.1 Introduction To England Scotland & Wales 1 1.2 Scotland 3 1.3 Wales 5 1.4 Oxford. 6 1.5 More of London 7 1.6 The Bloody Tower 9

1A Tour of Scotland 1B Historical Tour of Wales

2 The Geography and Climate of Britain

2.1 The British Isles 10 2.2 Physiographic features of England, Scotland

and Wales 13

2.3 The Climate and Weather in Vietnam and Britain

16

2.4 A weather forecast for the United Kingdom by a journalist in a radio station

19

3 Cities,

Population and Countryside

3.1 Major cities 20 3.2 Other interesting cities 21 3.3 Population 25 3.4 Living in Cities and Towns 26 3.5 Village life 27 3A Cotswolds (English Cottages and Country Gardens) 3B Famous English Country Estates (Chatsworth House) 3.6 The Countryside 28 3C North Downs 3D The Yorkshire Dales (Central Pennines) 3E The Lake District 3F Dartmoor 3G The Mountains of Scotland 3H North York Moors, North East England 4 What is

Britain? 4.1 An interview with five young people 30 4.2 Five young people speak about the places

they come from 30

4.3 Sophie talks about the difference between the North and South in England

32

4.4 The students talk about the differences between London and the rest of England

33

4.5 Important Events in British History 34 4.6 Three English students talk about their

choice of the five most important events in British history

36

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Chapter

Title Exercise

Section Page

CD

DV

D

Skill

R W L S

5 Unity and Divisions

5.1 Unification of the United Kingdom 38 5.2 Divisions 38 5.3 Distinctions in Speech 38 5A Comedy tour of English accents 5B Why can't the English Learn how to speak? 5C Unmarked Received pronunciation 5D Marked Received pronunciation 5.4 Demography of Britain 39 5.5 The North-South divide 41 5E North South Divide - Debate 5F North-South Divide - Vikings & Anglo Saxons 5G North-South Divide - Comedy 6 Food and

Drink 6.1 Traditional food and cooking 44 6.2 Attitudes to British Cooking 47 6.3 Eating Habits 48 6.4 Students from Edinburgh talk about what

they eat. 50

6.5 Fast food 51 6.6 Obesity and eating patterns 52 6A Are you fat? 6.7 Beer and The Pub 54 6B British Pub Rules 6C Traditional English Pub 6D London Pub with young patrons 6.8 Eating customs 56

7 The System of

Government 7.1 Introduction 57 7.2 The Monarchy 58 7.3 The British Parliament 58 7A State Opening of Parliament 2006 7.4 The House of Commons 59 7B Brown vs. Cameron debate after Queen's Speech 7C Fighting politicians without control of a Speaker 7.5 The House of Lords 61 7D House of Lords - What's it all about? 7.6 The Government 61 7E Tony Blair Entering Downing Street (1997) 7.7 The Opposition 63 7.8 Passing laws 63 7.9 The party political system 64 7.10 The Civil Service 65

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Chapter

Title Exercise

Section Page

CD

DV

D

Skill

R W L S

8 Cultural Diversity

8.1 Introduction 67 8.2 Immigration 68 8.3 Ethnic communities 69 8A West Indian Immigration to Britain. 8B Immigration, History of Modern Britain 8.4 The Vietnamese in Britain 71 8.5 Hardships - The story of Hai Tran 72 8.6 The Gupta family - Mrs Gupta 73 8.7 The Gupta family - Mr Gupta 74 8.8 The Gupta family - The son 75 8.9 Discrimination 76

9 Education 9.1 Introduction 79 9.2 Early Education 79 9.3 Early Modern Education 80 9.4 Primary and Secondary Education 81 9.5 Comprehensive schools and the National

Curriculum 82

9.6 An interview with a teacher in a primary school

84

9.7 An interview with a Headmaster of Bablake School in Coventry

85

9.8 A Scottish student called Alastaire talks about his school

86

9.9 Five young students choose the most important qualities in a teacher

87

9.10 Further Education and Higher Education 88

10 Sport 10.1 Introduction 89 10.2 Cricket 89 10A Cricket rules 10.3 Rugby 91 10B Rugby Union rules

1. Sightseeing Britain

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1.1. Introduction To England Scotland & Wales Listen to the dialogue and fill in the blanks with the following words.

American's Cardiff Castle Changing of the Guard Churchill Crown Jewels Beatles Big Ben Beefeater Guard's Britain Britain Britain's Britain's Britain's Britain's British Dover England England England's Edinburg Edinburgh Castle French Great Britain Great Fire of London Guard Household Cavalry Houses of Parliament Houses of Parliament London London London London London London Leonardo da Vinci Lord Nelson's Minster Monarch's of England Monet National Gallery Piccadilly Circus Piccadilly Circus Prime Minister Royal Mile Scotland Scotland Scotland Scotland's Shakespeare Stirling St Paul's Tower of London Trafalgar Square United Kingdom Wales Wales Wales World War 2 Wellington Barracks Westminster Abbey Western York This video is your one-stop guide to the pageantry, the majesty and beauty of G_____B ______. It

includes B ________ best cities and stunning countryside. And, you will see why it is A________ top

tourist destination. We will start in L______ to watch the C_______ o_ t__ G_____. In E______, see

magnificent churches such as the M_____in Y____. In W____, see charming sites such as C_____ C_____.

And, in S_______ you will see E________ C_____ which stands majestically perched on an ancient

volcano. We will also visit the R____ M____, tour famous battle fields in S_______ plus you will get a

taste of S________ famous whisky. B______ has a rich heritage including S__________, the world’s

greatest playwright and the B______, one of the world’s greatest musical groups. Finally, you will see

B_______ beautiful countryside from the mountains in W____ to the white cliffs of D____ which you see

here. So, enjoy your tour.

If you only have a week to visit B______, first see L_____ its capital, then spend a few days in E_______ to

get a taste of S_______. If you have more time, explore other great sites in E______, S_______ and

W____.

London Overview

We will begin our tour in L_____ which is the capital of the U_____ K______ and its largest city. This is

the centre of E_______ culture and commerce and it is also one of the world’s most exciting cities. The

H_____ __ P_________ shown here is the heart of B______ democracy. This is where debates are held to

set B_______ laws. B__ B__ is a famous clock in the tower above the H_____ __ P_________. Across the

street is W__________ A____ where the M________ __ E______ are crowned. Nearby is a statute of

C________, the P____ M_______ who led B______ during W____ W___ _. There is so much to see and


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do in L_____. You are watching the H_______ C______ these two horse-mounted sentries are marching

towards their posts. During the day they will not move as they silently stand guard.

London Short Tour

At T________ S_____ there is a monument to L___ N______ victory against the F_____ in 1805. Nearby

is the N_______ G______ which offers stunning collections of W______ art including works from

L_______ d_ V____ and M____. Now let us take a quick tour of other famous sites of L_____. We begin

in P_________ C_____ where you can catch a bus or a train to explore the city. It is busy here day or night

because of the wide range of activities in this area including shopping, cafe, restaurants and theatres. The

famous T____ o_ L_____ was first built in the 11th century and it has served as a castle and later as a

prison. Today, it is home of the C____ J_____ and B_______ G_____ who serve as guides. Now let us

watch the inspection of the troops at the W_________ B_______.

S_ P____ cathedral is one of the most famous churches in L_____. This magnificent structure was

completed in 1710 and its dome is over 350 feet tall. The church replaced another one which was destroyed

by the G____ F___ o_ L_____.

Now we are back at P_________ C_____. There is a lot to do here. You can shop, eat at great restaurants

or go to the theatre. However, there are some seedy nightclubs nearby, so watch yourself. The pulsating

lights of this square draw the crowds. Have fun, yah baby!


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1.2. Scotland Listen to the dialogue and fill in the blanks with the word you hear. After exploring ______ spend a few days in ________ you will be glad you did. This is _________ capital

and it is one of the most popular places to visit in _______. ________ is famous for its fine w_______,

c______ and mysterious L___s and the best way to sample it, is to visit ________. The city is divided into

two parts. O__ T____n which you see below is where the city was formed in the eleventh century and

N_____n which was formed in the eighteenth century.

The most impressive sight is E_______ C_____ which is perched majestically above the city. It is at the

top of an ancient volcano. The castle was a military base for battles between ________ and _______

before they merged in 1603. C_nn__s guarded the castle and its famous resident was M___y Q____n o_

S____s. She tried to bring C___h___ism back to ________ and ______ but she failed. And she paid a

heavy price. They executed her. The main tourist attractions are located along the R____l M___e in the

centre of O__ T___. ________ ______ is at the top of the _____ ____ and the city grew down the slope of

this hill. Further down the street is S____t G____s C________l, Scotland’s most famous Pro_____t

C____h. This is where J___ K___ preached in the sixteenth century and his passionate sermons against

M___ ____ __ _____ led to her exile.

At the bottom of the _____ ____ is the palace of H_ly___d H_____. This is the official residence in

_______ of her majesty the _____. Inside there are portraits of S_______ K____. Most of the palace was

built in the seventeenth century and nearby are the ruins of a twelfth century abbey.

________ has a wide range of tasty food such as this s______ s_____ and g____ b____. Another famous

S_______ dish is a delicious meal of p_g___n and b____ p______. Of course, you also might want to try

some of _________ fine m___t whiskies.

These neo-classical buildings inspired __________nickname ‘t__ A_____ of the N____. At the top of this

hill you also get great views of _______which has many elegant G__g___ shops and homes. While

_________ is an integral part of _____ _______ it is also strongly independent and the S_______

P________ sets local policies. This is a very important point to remember. Just like in _____ they are very

proud of their heritage. So never, never say that someone from ________ or _____ is _______.


4

The royal yacht B_______a was used by the royal family to sail the world’s seas for over forty years. This

majestic ship has lavish interiors which include the state dining and drawing rooms. Also, see the ________

folk evenings which include b__p_p___s and traditional dancing. The S______ W______ H_______

C_____ has videos and a scale model of how whisky is made. It is distilled from grains such as r__ or

b_____y. Then it matures for a few years in w___ c____s. ______ _______ has a dry smoky flavour. At

this centre there is also a ride about the history of _________ national drink. Finally, you get a sample of

whisky. If you want a drink in a good time, this is a quaint place to visit.

S________g was at the centre of many famous events in ________. And, S_______ C_____ dominates the

surrounding countryside. This was the site of key battles between ________ and _______. On this side of

the castle there is a beautiful garden. Much of the castle was re-built in the fifteenth century and it is where

M___ the Q____ of the S____ was crowned in 1543. Some even say that the legendary K___ A____r lived

in _______ although other sites in Britain make similar claims. R_____ the B____ ruled as king of

________ from 1306 to 1329 and there is a statue of him in front of the castle. These are some of the

cannons which defended S_______ C_____. These guns dominated the valley below and they show why

this fort paid such an important role in ________ history. Across the plains there is a monument to the

________ folk hero, W______m W______e. In 1297, he led ________ in a famous battle against the

_______ army. During the battle of S_______ B_____ W______ re-captured ________ castle. The

bridge, which you see here, was a strategic point to cross this river. In the movie B____ H____, M__

G_____ portrayed W______ paying tribute to the ________ hero.


5

1.3. Wales Listen to the dialogue and fill in the blanks with the word you hear. _______ is the capital of ______ and one of the most unusual sites here is C_______ C______. What makes

it so charming was the renovation in 1865 by a tycoon who had time and money to burn. Inside the castle

he created lavish interiors. Visitors to _______ will enjoy this tranquil oasis inside this bustling city.

Ducks and geese roam the castle ground. Watch as this beautiful peacock grooms itself. _______ is

______ largest city. This impressive building is ________ city hall which is located downtown. Nearby is

a beautiful park with fountains. And, down the street is the N_______ M______ and G______. This has a

vast array of paintings and sculptures. While _____ merged with _______ in 1536 they retained their own

customs and culture. In fact, almost one fourth of the population speaks their native language. A visit to

_______ is a great way to sample ______ on a day trip from ______. N_______ W____ has stunning

scenery and the best way to see its mountains and coastlines is by rail. You will enjoy riding these vintage

trains which have been fully restored. These s_____ e______ were first used in the eighteenth sixties to

carry slate from the mountains to the ports, but today they are used by tourists to explore the beautiful

countryside. This is ______ highest peak M____ S______ which is 3500 feet tall. In the surrounding

national park you can horseback ride or mountain bike. And, cattle graze in the valley below. This area has

breathtaking scenery. However, it is a long train ride from ______ so you might want to spend the night in

N_______ W____. While you are here take time to visit some of its famous castles. And, remember, if you

want to escape the hustle and bustle of the large cities, a train ride through ________ ______ is a refreshing

way to explore this majestic countryside

London

Now back to ______. During the changing of the horse guards, the n___ g____ relieves the o___ g____.

There are two regiments of cavalry, the L_________s and the B____ and R_____s. The __________ have

a white plume on their helmets and red tunics. On the other hand, the R____ H____ G_____ have a red

plume above their helmets with a blue tunic. The size of the guard varies. When it is larger it is known as

a L____ G____ while a smaller contingent is called a S____ G____. During these ceremonies remember

that these guards are part of the B______ military.


6

1.4. Oxford Listen to the dialogue and fill in the blanks with the word you hear. O_____is the oldest university in _______ and one of the best schools in the world. This is R__c____f

C_____a which serves mainly as a reading room for an adjacent library. This was filmed from the tower of

S____t M____ C_____ which offers some of the best views of ______. From this beautiful church you can

see most of the town including its shops and small streets. The __________ has grown since the twelfth

century into over thirty colleges the largest of which is C_____c____h. In the nearby river there are

majestic swans. The rustic settings in this university town make it a great day trip from London. This

area is filled with quaint villages and hamlets and you can also see W__w___ C_____, one of ________

best medieval castles. Traditions are very important in ______ and rowing is one of its greatest sports.

You can watch the crews practice and compete. And, the _____ C________ race which was first held in

1829 is one of the most famous in the world. This swan was a little messy cleaning its feathers with its

beak. Yet, it is very elegant as it majestically spreads its wings. And, on the other side of the river here

come more r_____s who are practicing for a race. In this streamlined path you can imagine how a d_____ at

C___________was inspired to create A____ __ W_________, the adventures of a young girl in an

imaginary world. He used his story to entertain the D_____ children. This is the bridge S___e named and

patterned after the famous bridge in V_____e. However, in ______, it is expensive to ride a gondola under

the bridge. Here you can walk under it for free. ______ is charming. It has beautiful buildings in a rustic

setting and it is s great place to visit.

W______ S__________ was the world’s greatest playwright and S________-U___-A___ was his

hometown. This is the house in which he was born in 1564 and where he also grew-up. Throughout this

quaint town there are tributes to ___________. Along the banks of the river _____ is the Royal

____________ T_______ where you can see excellent performances of his plays. See ___________

famous tragedies such as R____ and J______, M______ and H_____ or see his comedies such as The

M_______ of V______. Nearby is the H___ T______ C_____ where __________ was baptised in 1564.

This is also where he was buried in 1616. During that short time __________ wrote some of the most


7

famous plays of western civilisation. So make sure you stop by S________. It is only a few hours by bus

or train from _______ and it is a great day trip.

1.5. More of London

Listen to the dialogue and fill in the blanks with the word you hear. The pigeons are plump in T________ S_____. Handfed by visitors who flock to the heart of ________

capital city ______. It is an exciting place to be. Steeped in history but throbbing with life. B_________

P_____ home of the R____ F______ for more than a hundred and fifty years. Guardian of tradition, rich

in ceremony. But the sentries outside ___________ _______ are real soldiers; Q____ E_________

personal bodyguards. The R____ H________ orchestrates the pomp and pageantry that the _______ love

and visitors envy. The spectacle of the big occasion never fails to draw the crowds. London would be an

infinitely poorer place without the splendour and dignity of its _____ ceremonial. Patriotism, ancient

buildings, old crafts and customs, superb scenery, they are all part of a fascinating country you will see as

we take a journey to discover ________.

The _______ need no excuse to hold a ceremony. It is part of the fabric and ritual of ______ life. For sheer

colour and majesty, nobody does it better. Even the police, the celebrated B_____ B______ enter the

carnival spirit. No _______ pageant is complete without the blues and royal; the H_______ C______.

There is something about the glinting breastplates and helmets, the creep and jingle of harness, the

movement of the proud horses that stirs the emotions. Scenes such as these were as popular as they were

generations ago. Horses are one of Q____ E________ great loves. She is an authority on breeding. For

her, riding in a horse drawn carriage is a pleasure. The queen has reigned since 1952, her consort,

P_____ P______ by her side. She has ensured that the Monarchy remains strong, a symbol of her

country’s stability.

O______ S______, ________ shopping Mecca. Shoppers mingle with friendly B______ on foot patrol.

World famous stores are to be found here in fashionable K______ B_____. The _____ shops here. It is a

bustling city, a workplace for more than four million people where old style transport moves in harmony


8

with distinctive black ______ taxi cabs. Street stalls add a splash of colour. For those who want to sample

the sites, why not from an open topped double decker bus?

You won’t know his name but he is one of the most photographed faces in ______. He is a member of the

H________ C_______ at H_________ Y____ facing W________. The guard changes at eleven o’clock

each morning. A colourful spectacle that makes a souvenir picture for countless tourists recording the

historic sites of the capital.

T_____ B_____, a fairy tale structure across the river T______ overlooks another tourist favourite, the

T_____ __ L______. The T_____ has been a palace, a fortress and a prison in its turbulent history dating

from 1078. Inside are the picturesque homes of the Y__m__n warders of the tower originally appointed by

K____ E_____ t__ s____. They are the quaintly named Beefeaters, a name which may have been derived

from their fondness for roast beef. What tales have they got to tell? Murders and executions in the

infamous tower.

The city finance houses making one of the world’s greatest money markets and the house of God; S_____

P_____ C________. The seventeen century masterpiece of S__ C_________ W____. Everyday life in

______ is a rich tapestry. The pavement cafes, the pubs selling traditional beers. C_____ G______

once a famous fruit and vegetable market, now a setting for street theatre. They all bring pleasure laughter

relaxation to the streets of ______ town.


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1.6. The Bloody Tower Listen to the dialogue and fill in the blanks with the word you hear.

Welcome to our tour. Ghosts of the T_____ of _______everyone. The _____ has stood on this ground

since 1066 when D___ W______ of N_______ invaded _______. And, throughout its history it has been

used as a prison and place of execution. Which may be why today, some people say this is one of the

scariest places on earth. There are many tales of ghosts here but the ghost most people see is A___

B_____, the second wife of K____ H_____ the e_____. When she did not give birth to a boy she was

beheaded on T____ G_____ in 1536. A headless female figure in a white dress has often been seen close

to where she was executed, near Q_____ H______. She is also said to haunt the C_____ R____ where the

same headless figure has been seen leading a ghostly procession of L_____ and L_____ down the aisle

towards where her headless body is buried. The T____ was also the scene of the infamous disappearance of

the two princes; E_____ T______ and R_______ N____ who were thought to have been murdered in

1483. When their father K____ E______ the F_____ died his brother R_______ took the boys to the T____

for their protection. But they disappeared. R______ was later crowned R______the t____. According to

one story, guards in the late fifteenth century spotted the shadows of two small figures gliding down the

stairs in the W____ T_____. Nearly two hundred years later in 1674 workmen found a chest beneath the

stairway of the _____ _____ that contained the skeletons of two young children recently proved by DNA

testing to be the two princes. L___ J___ G___ was just seventeen when she was executed on the 12th

February 1554 after only nine days as _____ to H____ the e_____. Her ghost is said to appear on the

anniversary of her death on the S___ T____. Other ghostly appearances include the chained and

headless body of Sir W_____ R______ who was often been seen in the B_____ T_____. And, another

ghost many people have seen is ______ fifth wife C________ H_____. She ran away from her executioner

and her ghost has been seen running down the ______ hallway screaming for help. Now let us go further

into the ______ and see if we can find any of these ghosts.

2. The Geography and Climate of Britain

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2.1. The British Isles The British Isles consist of two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland. They have thousands of smaller islands surrounding them. Great Britain or Britain is the name given to the combination of England, Scotland and Wales. Important seas surrounding the British Isles are the North Sea in the east, the Atlantic Ocean in the west, the English Channel between England and France, the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland. The topography of Great Britain can be roughly divided into Lowland Britain and Highland Britain. The coast has many estuaries and inlets, so that no place in Britain is far from the sea. The climate of the British Isles is mild and damp and moderated by light winds blowing in from relatively warm seas in the Atlantic Ocean. Inland temperatures do not usually get below freezing in winter or above 30°C in summer. Light rains (drizzle) occur everywhere all year. Fogs usually

develop in winter. The British Isles were once almost entirely covered with forests, but tree cover is now one of the lowest in Europe. The mighty woodlands of the British Isles of the past have been reduced to a few pockets of vegetation due to extensive farming. Exercise A. Label the map on the following page with the correct name or phrase from the definitions below. Atlantic Ocean - the body of water in which the British Isles are located Belfast - the capital of Northern Ireland Cardiff - the capital of Wales Celtic Sea - the sea south of Ireland Dublin - the capital of Ireland Edinburgh - the capital of Scotland England - the largest area in the United Kingdom; it is attached to Scotland and Wales English Channel - the body of water off southern England which separates it from France Hebrides - islands off the northwest coast of Scotland Ireland - (the Republic of Ireland) - a country west of England across the Irish Sea (not part of the United Kingdom) Irish Sea - the body of water that separates England and Ireland Isle of Man - an island in the Irish Sea Isle of Wight - an island off the southern coast of England London - the capital of England (and the capital of the United Kingdom) North Sea - the body of water northeast of the British Isles separating it from northwest Europe Northern Ireland - a part of the United Kingdom bordering the Republic of Ireland on the northeast Orkney Islands - islands off the northeast coast of Scotland Scotland - a part of the United Kingdom bordering England on the north


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12

Exercise B. Name each territory of the British Isles (darkened part) in the maps below.

A B

C D

E F

Questions (i) Name the regions that make-up what is called ‘Britain’ and the ‘United Kingdom’. (ii) What are the capital cities of each region? (iii) Ireland is part of the United Kingdom? True or False


13

2.2. Physiographic features of England, Scotland and Wales. The term United Kingdom has been used to refer to the combined regions of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We will focus on England, Scotland and Wales in this course of study on British Culture because Northern Ireland is only technically a part of the UK today as most Irish in Northern Ireland would not consider themselves British. Citizens of Great Britain are referred to as Britons. This term is used to refer to the ancient Britons who were inhabitants of Britain south of Scotland’s Forth River. The Firth of Forth is the estuary of the Forth River. Britons are descended mainly from the different ethnic groups that settled there before the 11th century such as Celtics, Romans and Anglo Saxons. While the climate of Britain is similar the physiographic features of England, Scotland and Wales are quite different. They are summarised in following paragraphs. England: The total area of England is 130,410 square kilometres and London is its capital. It is also the largest city in the United Kingdom. The coast of England has excellent natural harbours that are easily accessible to deepwater shipping. This has been important for its

economic development and for its culture as a seafaring nation. Some important and famous harbour ports are Newcastle upon Tyne, Hull, London, Dover, Plymouth, Bristol and Liverpool Harbour. The northern and western parts of England are generally mountainous. Lowland Britain consists of the South, London, East Anglia, and the West Country which has many rivers connected by a network of canals. The Thames is a major river flowing through London, Oxford, Reading and Windsor in southern England. It is 346 kilometres in length and is the second longest river in the United Kingdom. England mainly consists of flat land and rolling hills except in the Midlands and the 'North'. These

regions that contain the most important English mountain ranges called the Pennine Chain or Pennines (between 890-630 metres) and the Lake District (between 970-820 metres), one of the most picturesque regions in England. The city of Birmingham is the centre of the Midlands and is the second largest city of the United Kingdom. York is another famous historic city in the North of England.

The Pennine Mountain ranges.


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In the east of England lies The Fens, a vast area of flatland that was a marshland that was drained. To the south of the Bristol Channel is an elevated plateau that slopes upward ending in the barren uplands and moors of Cornwall and Devon. Sequential ranges of chalk hills can be seen from the English Channel and are known as the white cliffs of Dover. Scotland: The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh and Glasgow is its largest city. Scotland can be divided into three areas. The Southern Uplands are the fertile plains and hills bordering England. The Central Lowlands run from Edinburgh to Glasgow and contain the industrial towns and most of the population. The Highlands are mountain ranges (between 1350-1200 metres) rising to their heights at Ben Nevis (1344 metres), Britain's highest mountain. The largest islands that belong to Scotland are the Hebrides, the Orkneys and the Shetlands. Many of these islands are inhabited. About three-quarters of Scotland is made-up of uncultivated bog, rock and heather, including a lot of peat soils. The land area of Scotland, including the islands, is 78,790 square kilometres. The longest river is the Tay. Scotland has a very irregular coastline with numerous inlets from the sea. The larger and broader inlets are called firths such as the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth. The main natural harbour is located in the Firth of Clyde. Scotland is very mountainous and more than one-half of Scotland is occupied by the Highlands and contains narrow lakes or lochs. Loch Lomond is the longest lake in Scotland and Loch Ness, according to legend contains a sea monster (The Loch Ness Monster). The Clyde, which flows through the city of Glasgow, is Scotland’s most important river and serves as a transportation outlet to the Atlantic Ocean. Wales: The capital city of Wales is Cardiff and it is the principal seaport and shipbuilding centre of Wales. The total area of Wales is 20,760 square kilometres. Wales has an irregular coastline with many bays, the largest of which is Cardigan Bay. Wales is almost entirely mountainous with three main regions; Snowdonia in the north-west, the Cambrian Mountains in mid-Wales and Brecon Beacons in the south. The principal range is the Cambrian Mountains (between 750-600 metres), which extend north and south through central Wales. These mountains are the source of River Severn which is 354 km in length and is Britain's longest river. The Severn flows through mid Wales and enters the West Midlands and South West England before discharging into Celtic Sea through the Bristol Channel. Mount Snowdon is Wales's highest mountain and is the source of the Dee River which is a major river of Wales. It is 110 kilometres in length and flows through northern Wales passing through the Bala Lake, which is the largest natural lake in Wales, before entering North West England.

A loch in the Scottish Highlands

Cambrian Mountain ranges, Wales.


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A Physiographic map of the British Isles. Questions (i) What are the main mountain areas of England, Scotland and Wales called? (ii) Which region(s) of Britain are the most mountainous? The least mountainous? Which region(s) have the highest and lowest mountains? (iii) How do the three regions of Britain compare with each other in land area? Which region has the largest amount of flat land? Which region has the largest land area? Which region has the smallest landmass? (iv) Which part of Britain has the largest number of coastal firths and lochs? (v) Which part of Britain has the largest number of harbours? Why is it good for the economy of the region? (vi) Name the seas and countries closest to Britain? (vii) Is the landmass of Vietnam 329,556 or 520, 337 or 767, 233 square kilometres? How does this compare with the

area of England, Scotland and Wales? (viii) How far is London from Hanoi? i. 8525 ii. 9236 iii. 11455 kilometres. (ix) How far is London from Ho Chi Minh City? i. 9551 ii. 10234 iii. 12370 kilometres. Exercise. Fill in the blanks for the paragraph below using the following words. Atlantic Britain Britain canals Cambrian Devon Downs England England English Channel Cornwall Fens Highlands Ireland Irish island firths lochs North Northern Ireland Pennines rivers Scotland seas Uplands

The Geography of Britain Britain is an ____________country that is surrounded by three ________: the __________Sea, the

_______________Ocean and the __________Sea. ______________is separated from ______________and

_______________ _____________by the Irish Sea and from France by the ______________

______________. The most mountainous areas of Britain are in the north: the __________________and

Southern ______________ of________________. The southern part of Britain contains smaller mountain

ranges such as the ________________ in ______________and ________________ Mountains in Wales and

the rolling hills of England such as the __________. ____________also has most of the flatland such as

drained marshlands called the ________and the moors of __________and________________. The south

A physiographic map of the British Isles.


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part of _____________ also has the greatest number of ____________ and ____________while the northern

part has many narrow lakes called __________ and sea inlets called ____________.

(x) If you went to Britain, which areas would you like to visit? (xi) What are the similarities between the geography of Britain and Vietnam? (xii) What are the differences between the geography of Britain and Vietnam?

State if the following statements are true or false. (i) North Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. True/False (ii) Northern Ireland belongs to the United Kingdom. True/False (iii) The term 'Britons' is another name for Scottish people. True/False (iv) England has the most number of seaports in Britain. True/False (v) The cliffs of Dover are white because they are made of chalk. True/False (vi) Scotland is smaller than England but much larger than Wales. True/False (vii) London is the largest city in the United Kingdom and Glasgow is the second largest. True/False (viii) Most of the land in Scotland is unfertile. True/False (ix) The Pennine Chain, Scottish Highlands and Mount Snowdon are the three main mountain regions of Britain. True/False (x) The longest river in Britain begins in England. True/False (xi) Wales has three main mountainous areas. True/False 2.3. The Climate and Weather in Vietnam and Britain Weather is the name given for rain, sunshine, wind, cloud cover, temperature or humidity in the present time at a particular place. For example, “It is very sunny today” is a statement about the weather because it is an observation of sunshine and/or temperature on that day. Climate refers to rain, sunshine, wind, cloud cover, temperature or humidity over a long period of time in a particular place. For example, “Vietnam is a tropical country” or “Britain is a cold country” is a statement about the climate of each country because it is about rain, sunshine, wind, cloud cover, temperature or humidity in each country every year for a long

period of time. The climate of the United Kingdom is classified as a mid-latitude oceanic climate with warm summers, cold winters and constant rainfall throughout the year. The constant rainfall causes frequent cloudy conditions. This causes the country to have very low sunshine hours throughout the year. Sunshine hours are the number of daylight hours in each day that are free of most clouds. The principal factors that influence the country's climate is its northerly latitude (which ranges from 50° to 60°N), the close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, and the warming of the surrounding waters of the Atlantic Ocean by the Gulf Stream. The weather is very variable and it can change from one day to the next but these variations in weather through the year are relatively small.

England has a mild and moist climate. The mean annual temperature ranges between 11°C and 9°C. July is the hottest month of the year, and January, is the coldest month. Fogs, mists, and overcast skies are frequent, particularly in the Pennine and inland regions. Rainfall is heaviest during October and average

The Gulf Stream. The large arrow shows the direction of warm water currents that travel past Britain keeping this area of Europe much warmer. Arrows pointing downwards show the return of this water current that is now cold.


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rainfall is about 760 mm in most of England. England has slightly warmer maximum and minimum temperatures throughout the year compared with Scotland and Wales. The climate of Scotland is similar to the rest Britain but has the coolest temperatures. Lower temperatures are common in Highland areas during the winter months. Wales also has similar weather to England but has slightly warmer temperatures throughout the year than Scotland and lower temperatures in winter compared to England. Vietnam has a tropical monsoon climate, with humidity averaging 84% throughout the year. However, because of differences in latitude and its mountainous regions, the climate tends to vary considerably from place to place. For example, Dalat can be very cool while Ho Chi Minh City a few hundred kilometres away can be very hot. The winter or dry season is usually between November to April. The south westerly summer monsoon normally occurs from May to October. Questions (i) Which are the months of summer, winter, autumn and spring in Britain and Vietnam? (ii) Find the meaning of the phrase mid-latitude oceanic climate and explain it in your own words. (iii) Find out the meaning of the phrase Gulf Stream and explain it in your own words. (iv) Find out the meaning of the phrase tropical monsoon climate and explain it in your own words. Exercise. Fill in the blanks for the essay below using the following words. 600 mm 1000 mm Cardiff Cardiff Cardiff drier Edinburgh Edinburgh Edinburgh

Edinburgh four humidity London London London London lower rainfall rainfall

similar slight spring summer Summer temperatures sunshine temperature winter

Comparison of the Climate of London, Cardiff and Edinburgh

Introduction: There are ________climatic factors to consider when comparing the three cities. These are

_____________________, ________________, ________________hours and ________________.

Body: Firstly, there are ____________ differences in ____________ temperatures between the cities.

Summer temperatures in ____________ are approximately 2-3oC higher than _________________ and

approximately 1-2oC higher than ____________. ____________ ________________________in Cardiff are

approximately 1-2oC higher than Edinburgh. Secondly, there are larger differences in ________________

between Cardiff and the other two cities. While ____________ and ________________ receive relatively

even rainfall during each season in the year totalling approximately ______ ____, Cardiff receives uneven

seasonal rainfall totalling approximately ________ ____ annually. Cardiff's seasonal rainfall during the

____________ and ____________ months is almost double to that of London and Edinburgh. Lastly,

humidity is considerably __________ in Cardiff compared to the other two cities. Sunshine hours are similar

in ____________ and __________________. Although no information for sunshine hours is available for

______________ it can be expected that they are ______________ to the other two cities.

Conclusion: Therefore, the biggest differences in climate between the three cities would be __________

winters in ____________ and _______________ in comparison with _______.

(v) Using the graphs in the next page, compare and contrast the climate in an essay of 150 words. Compare London with Hanoi OR Edinburgh with Ho Chi Minh City. Follow the example for London, Cardiff and Edinburgh for your essay. (vi) Which months of the year are British citizens likely to travel? Explain your reasons. (vii) If they had a choice, which months of the year would they come to Vietnam? (viii) How do you think that the climate of Britain and Vietnam influences its people?


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The Climate of Major Cities in Vietnam and Britain

A

B

C

D

E

State if the following statements are true or false. (i) 'It was windy and rainy during the FA Cup Final last year' is a statement about the weather. True/False (ii) Wales has a mild and moist climate. True/False (iii) Sunshine hours in Britain are similar to Vietnam. True/False (iv) The rainy season in Britain lasts all year. True/False (v) London is a little warmer than Edinburg but slightly colder than Cardiff during winter. True/False (vi) The hottest period in North Vietnam is similar to the hottest period in Britain. True/False


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2.4. A weather forecast for the United Kingdom by a journalist in a radio station. Listen to the dialogue and fill the blanks with the correct words. Aberdeen, Glasgow afternoon Belfast Belfast Borders of Scotland Celsius cloud Dorset Cornwall East Anglia East Anglia, Lincolnshire England fog English Channel frosty Lincolnshire Midlands Midlands, Wales mist Midlands, Wales, North West England North East England North East England cloud North East of England Northern Ireland Northern Isles North Sea North West England North West of Scotland Orkney Scotland Scotland Shetland sunshine temperatures temperatures temperature Wales wind winds Northern Ireland Southern England rain fog Wales And now the detailed f_______for the next twenty-four hours, starting with E___ A____, L____________,

and the N_____ E____ __ E_______. A gentle flow of air from the N_____ S__ is bringing c_____ and a

few spots of light r___, but this will tend to thin and break, the showers dying out later this a_________.

The w___ is rather cold, so the t__________ won't get much above four or five degrees today. Tonight

there'll be a frost, with temperatures dropping to zero or minus one in ____ ______, as low as minus two

or minus three in _____ ____ _______. Parts of Lincolnshire and North East England may see a few mist

and fog patches by dawn tomorrow morning. Now to the M_______, W____, _____ W___ _______, and all

of S_______ _______, where there's likely to be a pretty dry afternoon. There are some bands of cloud

circulating, especially along the south coasts from D_____ to C_______, but apart from that it's fine, with

some pleasant s_______ on the west coast of _____ and parts of the ________. Strong north-easterly w____,

especially in the E______ C______, will slowly ease this afternoon, though tt___________will remain

around four or five. Tonight, with little wind, it'll be frosty, especially away from the coast,

____________falling as low as minus three or minus four. In parts of the ________, _____ and _____ ____

_______ there may be a few freezing f__ patches to start the day tomorrow. So that's _______and _____.

Now to N_______ I______ and S_______. It's going to be a dry day here as well, slowly warming up over

the afternoon, with some really quite pleasant winter sunshine. At the moment it's sunny in A_______,

G______ and B______. For the ________ I_____ it's a different story. There's a weather front approaching

S________ and O_____, and that will bring rain or showers by the end of the afternoon. In the ______ ____

__ ________, south-westerly winds are bringing milder air, so temperatures here around six C______.

Further south, only three or four degrees over much of _______, and five for B______. Tonight we can

expect cloud and patchy rain, some sleet perhaps, to edge into the north of mainland Scotland. Otherwise

it'll be clear and f_____, with some freezing fog. Lowest temperatures: five for Stornoway, but minus two in

the B______ __ _______ and minus three in _______ _______.

Questions (i) Which part of the United Kingdom has the best weather during the afternoon of the reported day? (ii) Which part of the United Kingdom will have the coldest weather during the following morning?

3. Cities, Population and Countryside

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3.1. Major cities Cardiff is the capital of Wales and is about sixty-seven kilometres east of Swansea on the south coast of Wales. The city was once a major port for coal transport. It is now a shopping, commercial and industrial centre. The city centre has international sporting stadiums such as the Millennium Stadium for rugby and soccer. Many colleges of the University of Wales are based in Cardiff. Cardiff Bay has many tourist centres of interest on the waterfront such as the Millennium Arts Centre and the Welsh Assembly. London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. It contains the centre of government at the Houses of Parliament. It is a major financial, commercial, distribution and communications centre, situated in the South-East of England, some eighty kilometres north of the south coast. Greater London covers 625 square miles and consists of thirty-three separate boroughs (districts), including the City of London (the financial centre), and the City of Westminster (site of the Houses of Parliament). It is also one of the major centres in the world for the arts with major theatre and music companies as follows. Theatre The West End, The Royal Shakespeare Company, The National Theatre Music The London Symphony Orchestra, The London Philharmonic Orchestra, The Royal Opera and

the English National Opera Birmingham is a manufacturing and commercial city and communications centre in the West Midlands with the second highest population in Britain after London. It is 169 kilometres north-west of London. The city centre was redeveloped in 1960s and 1970s as a national commercial centre. It is the home of the National Exhibition Centre and the International Convention Centre which are major venues for commercial conventions and industrial fairs. The city’s cultural activities include dance (the Birmingham Royal Ballet) and music (the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra). Manchester is an important cultural and commercial centre on the western side of England about 298 kilometres north-west of London. This city was a creation of the Industrial Revolution of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when, it was known as 'Cottonopolis', for textile manufacturing and became regional capital of the North-West. It is home to the Halle Orchestra and Royal Northern College of Music. It is also a major centre for higher education, the arts and the media industry. Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland, whose Irish name is Beal Feirste, meaning 'mouth of the sandbank' in Gaelic. It was once had a major shipbuilding, tobacco and linen industry. It is also famous for its Victorian architecture. Edinburgh is the historic city and capital of Scotland on the south side of the Firth' of Forth, 608 kilometres north of London. It is a centre for law firms, banking, insurance and is also a cultural centre. Its industries include printing and publishing, brewing and tourism. The city is dominated by Edinburgh castle. The International Festival of Music and Drama is held here annually. Edinburgh also has distinctive architecture. Exercise: Locate these cities on the map of the United Kingdom in a following page and write their names in the table in a following page.


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3.2. Other Interesting Cities Brighton is the first seaside resort on the south coast of England. It has lots of well-known buildings, including Brighton Pavilion, a palace commissioned by King George IV, and famous girls' school Roedean. York has preserved or reconstructed Roman, Viking and medieval remains, ancient walls and the beautiful 'Minster', that are popular with tourists. It is situated inland, 311 kilometres north of London. Oxford is situated at the meeting point of the River Thames and the River Cherwell, eighty-five kilometres north-west of London. Oxford university was founded in the thirteenth century. The University and Cathedral is a tourist attraction. Oxford is a commercial centre too, with a car manufacturing industry at Cowley, just outside the city. Sunderland developed as a coal port and a centre of shipbuilding and engineering in the nineteenth century. It is situated seventeen kilometres south-east of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Nottingham is a city on the River Trent, seventy-two kilometres north-east of Birmingham. It is the nearest city to Sherwood Forest, home of the legendary Robin Hood. It contains a seventeenth-century castle, restored in nineteenth century; houses museum and art gallery. It’s industrial prosperity as a centre of lace-and hosiery-making commenced with the invention of the stocking-frame in 1589. Glasgow is a city, port, commercial and industrial centre on the River Clyde, sixty-six kilometres west of Edinburgh. It was once known as 'the second city of the British Empire' after London. In the nineteenth century it was the centre for the building of great locomotives and ships which were exported worldwide. The name 'Clyde-built' came to mean 'of the highest quality'. The city was greatly affected by industrial decline after 1945. Now a major artistic and cultural centre; it became the first 'European City of Culture' in 1990. Sheffield is a city on the River Don, 256 kilometres north-west of London and 116 kilometres north-east of Birmingham. Coal mining was once located near the city. It has been a centre for the production of cutlery since the Middle Ages and of high-quality steel since the eighteenth century. In recent years it has become an important venue for conferences. Leeds is a commercial and industrial city on the River Aire, and on the Leeds–Liverpool Canal, fifty-eight kilometres north-east of Manchester and 270 kilometres north of London; south-west of York. It has been traditionally a centre of the textile trade. Liverpool is fifty-six kilometres south-west of Manchester and close to the border with North Wales on the north-west coast of England. It was once a major port and is now a centre for commercial redevelopment such as the Albert Dock which has been transformed into offices, shops, museums and a television studio. Liverpool has universities, Anglican and Roman Catholic cathedrals and world-famous football teams. Swansea is a large port city at the mouth of the River Tawe, sixty-seven kilometres west of Cardiff. It was once a centre for iron, steel, coal and tin mining. There were coal-mining and oil-refining industries near the city today. It is still an industrial, residential and academic centre and also the main shopping centre for South-West Wales. The remains of a fourteenth-century castle or manor house are the main tourist attraction. Aberdeen is the centre of North Sea oil industry. It is third largest fishing port in Britain and famous for its granite buildings. Newcastle-upon-Tyne is a city and port, 180 kilometres north of Leeds. It is a commercial and industrial centre. The quayside and the river, where coal-exporting gave Newcastle its identity for centuries, now combine picturesque decay with signs of redevelopment.


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Exercise A. (i) Locate the other cities on the map and write their names in the table on the next page. (ii). Name nine major Financial and Commercial Centres of the United Kingdom in the table on the next page. (iii). Name eight major centres for Tourism and the Arts in the United Kingdom in the table on the next page.

Map of the United Kingdom.


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City I. Major City Tick (√)

II. Other City Tick (√)

III. Financial/ Commercial centre Tick (√)

IV. Tourism and Arts Centre Tick (√)

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

Question: What does the distribution of major cities, other cities, financial centres, arts and tourism centres across the United Kingdom imply? Write a 3-paragraph essay of approximately 180 words.


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Exercise B. Name 6 major Industries in the past and 10 in the present and their location in the UK. Major industry in the Past Location

Major industry in the Present Location


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3.3. Population The 2001 population census of the United Kingdom showed it has a population of almost 59 million people. Approximately 49 million live in England, 3 million in Wales, 5 million in Scotland and 2 million in Northern Ireland. The census shows that the UK is still a nation of crowded cities and thinly populated rural areas. In Scotland and Wales the greater part of the population is concentrated in the more lowland areas, particularly the area between Glasgow and Edinburgh, and in the eastern and south-eastern parts of Wales. The South-West of England has been the fastest growing region of the United Kingdom. Between 1981 and 1990 populations fell in the North-West, the North-East and Scotland. People moved away from the old industrial cities, involved in coal, shipbuilding and steel, in the North-East, West Midlands, North-West and Wales and moved to the light industries and services of the more economically attractive South-East and East Midlands. The biggest shift in population has been between the South-East and the South-West of England. Exercise A: Underline ( __ ) the correct time period which applies to each statement A to D from the table below. A. The South-East of England continued to experience considerable population growth, though it was slower than in the previous twenty years. Small population increases were also evident in the North-West and East of England. 1931-51 or 1951-61 or 1961-71 or 1971-81? B. The South-East of England was the fastest growing region. In all other regions of Britain, the population increased, especially in the West Midlands. The smallest population increase took place in the East of England. 1931-51 or 1951-61 or 1961-71 or 1971-81? C. The population actually fell in the South-East and the North-West, but increased significantly in the South-West and East Midlands. 1931-51 or 1951-61 or 1961-71 or 1971-81? D. The South-East of England experienced considerable population growth, though the rate of growth remained roughly the same as in the previous ten years. The South-West of England increased its population significantly, as did the East Midlands. However, the growth rate in the North-West was significantly slower than in the previous decade. 1931-51 or 1951-61 or 1961-71 or 1971-81? Distribution of resident population 1931-91, in the United Kingdom (000s)

Total UK population

1931 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 46,038 50,225 52,709 55,515 55,848 56,467

England 31,162 34,713 36,895 39,275 39,948 40,326 South-East 13,539 15,127 16,271 17,230 16,796 16,794

North-East 4,285 4,522 4,635 4,799 4,860 4,797

North-West 3,038 3,137 3,250 3,296 3,104 3,109 West Midlands 3,743 4,423 4,758 5,110 5,148 5,089

South-West 2,794 3,229 3,411 3,781 4,349 4,600 East Midlands 2,531 2,893 3,100 3,390 3,819 3,919 East 1,232 1,382 1,470 1,669 1,872 2,018

Exercise B: Using the examples above as a guide, write a 3-paragraph summary of the population changes that took place between 1981 and 1991 in the UK and England.


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3.4. Living in Cities and Towns Eighty per cent of the British people live in towns or cities with a population of 100,000 inhabitants or more. Most of these town dwellers would prefer to live in the countryside. This feeling has a lot to do with the national state of mind of the British. One of the most notable aspects of all British people is their love of the countryside. Many people, whether they live in a suburban house or in a flat in a high-rise block, would say their dream home was a country cottage and a garden in which to grow flowers and vegetables. The British have a deep nostalgia for a world of neat hedgerows, cottages and great country houses, surrounded by parkland and eighteenth-century style gardens that are harmonious and natural. The nostalgia is largely from a romantic love of nature which has been such a powerful theme in English art and literature. The National Trust, which owns or manages hundreds of country estates and great country houses, was founded a century ago on this nostalgia. Wealthy people usually own a country cottage to which they retreat to at weekends.

A typical suburban street of houses with neat hedgerows and front and back gardens built between 1900 and 1930.

Victorian terrace houses with mid‐twentieth century housing in the background. Virtually every town and city in England has houses like these.

As a result of this longing for a rural paradise, British people are always trying to move out of larger cities to the countryside or smaller towns. Another reason for moving to the country and smaller cities is to escape a decline in the quality of life in Britain's larger cities, due to increasing population, traffic congestion and pollution. By 1914 most of London’s middle classes and a smaller 'service' class had moved to new suburbs which were engulfing the countryside within a 40 km radius of the city. These suburbs were characterised by houses with front and back gardens. Between the 1920s to the 1970s, professional middle-class people started to move out beyond 'suburbia' into the towns and villages of the Home Counties about a hundred kilometres or more from the heart of London so they could live in what were still quiet country towns. They did this because they could either afford a motor car or the train fares to travel in a reasonable time to work in London. In the late I 970s and 1980’s the pressure to move out of London and its suburbs intensified. The steep rise in house prices in London area and in the Home Counties made people move further, up to 250 km or more from London, in areas around Brighton, Salisbury, Bristol, Oxford, Northampton, Cambridge, Peterborough and Norwich where it was possible to

A country cottage in England.


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buy an affordable house. They would spend up to two hours travelling to work by rail each day. Finally, there has also been another smaller, but growing number of people who no longer needed to work in central offices, but work from home, linked by computer and fax facilities to their employer. Questions (i) Explain the meaning of the phrase 'the deep nostalgia' of the British people? (ii) Why have cities declined in population while towns and villages outside cities have increased? (iii) There are three stages of the movement of people from larger cities such as London to smaller towns that are identified in section 3.4. Identify and explain these stages. State if the following statements are true or false. (i) A country garden in Britain is called a hedgerow. True/False (ii) Chatsworth House is an example of English country estate. True/False (iii) Country cottages are only found in England. True/False (iv) The 'deep nostalgia of the British' means that they wish for the happiness of a past time True/False. (v) The middle class of British are not too rich and not too poor. True/False (vi) A middle class person in Britain in the 1970's must have been a factory worker. True/False (vii) The phrase 'quality of life' means how healthy and enjoyable it is to live and work (or study) in a particular place. True/False 3.5. Village life The large numbers of families who have bought cottages in the country, to live permanently or to use as a holiday home has changed the nature of village life in Britain. Many villages now have a large proportion of inhabitants who are commuters. These people live in the village but earn their living elsewhere. This is in contrast to about fifty years ago when villages were much smaller and were populated by those who made their living from the country around the village, primarily farmers and farm labourers. In Hampshire, for example, almost all villages are entirely commuter-based. The inhabitants of the village travel to work as far as Southampton, Bath, Bristol and London which are distances of approximately 100 kilometres or more. Apart from traffic congestion, this migration has transformed the occupancy of the villages. Pretty old cottages have been bought at higher prices that most local people cannot afford. Local people on low incomes have been steadily squeezed out of the village, particularly during the past 30 years, into low-cost or publicly-owned rented housing on the edge of the village. A commuter-based village society has also led to the decline of essential facilities and services in villages. Forty percent of villages no longer have a permanent shop. Thirty percent no longer have a post office and 13 per cent have lost their bus service. Questions (i) Explain the meaning of 'a commuter-based village society'. (ii) In Britain there is a popular desire to move into the countryside. What social and problems does this movement cause? State if the following statements are true or false. (i) The term 'the nature of village life' means the traditional way of life in a village. True/False (ii) Commuters are people who live in a village and work elsewhere such as farmers. True/False (iii) A commuter-based village society consists of farmers and farm labourers. True/False (iv) Many villages in Britain no longer have post office or a bus service because there are a very few people living in the village. True/False

Commuters on their way to work in London. Many of them would spend over an hour or more both travelling to work and then returning home.


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3.6. The Countryside While the Welsh and Scottish countryside consists mainly of mountainous areas. England is mainly made up of lowland countryside of rolling hills and dales such as the Yorkshire Dales, the moorlands of Cornwall and Devon. Elsewhere the ranges of hills are very low or the land is very flat such as the Fens within East England and the East Midlands. The word moors is used particularly in Britain to describe hills and mountains which have very low growing vegetation and dales refer to river valleys. The main mountainous areas of England are the Pennines the Lake District. Most of the British countryside is used for sheep and cattle farming and growing agriculture crops such as wheat and barley.

Exercise A: Read the descriptions (A to E) of important mountainous areas in Britain. View and listen to videos 3C, 3D, 3E, 3F and 3G to help you understanding of these regions. Then, identify these landscapes of Britain on map F.

A. North Downs: Is a narrow chain of chalk hills, 190 kilometres in length, in the South-East of England, between Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover. Its grasslands contain wild plants and flowers, some of which are very rare and it is also the site of many ancient settlements. Its flat hill tops are usually broken up by hedgerows and woodland.

B. Pennines: The Pennines are a low mountain chain separating North West England from Yorkshire and North East England. They are referred to as the 'backbone' of England, as they stretch from the Peak District in Derbyshire, through the Yorkshire Dales, around the northern and eastern edges of Greater Manchester, the West Pennine Moors of Lancashire. It is a popular place with tourists, who can walk the Pennine Way which is a long-distance hiking path from Derbyshire to Scotland.

C. The Lake District: This is a very scenic district of North-West England. It has England's ten highest mountains, including the highest, Scafell Pike, at 963 metres. It has green valleys and tree-fringed lakes, woods carpeted with wild flowers, clear streams and towering waterfalls. It is now very popular with tourists, who come throughout the year to walk the hills, relax or take up water sports.

D. Dartmoor: It has a rough landscape with little vegetation, and is famous for its peat and bogs. Its bogs have been known to swallow sheep. It is also famed for its extremes of weather, its mists and rains. It is located in the South-West of England in the area of Devon and Cornwall.

E. Highlands: Mountainous area in Scotland where the famous grouse and red deer are native species. The native vegetation of the highlands is heather; a distinctive purple flowering plant. The highlands contain the ten highest mountains in the United Kingdom, whose heights range from Ben Nevis (1,392 metres) to North Top (1,196 metres).

F. Map of The United Kingdom. 1. ------------------------------------------ 2. ------------------------------------------ 3. ----------------------------------------- 4. ------------------------------------------ 5. ------------------------------------------


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Exercise B: Read the descriptions below to identify locations 1 to 17, using your knowledge from Chapter 2 and 3 including all videos 3A to 3H. Bodmin Moor: moorland in north-eastern Cornwall close to Dartmoor. Chiltern Hills: chalk hills in South East England between the Cotswolds and the North Downs. Cheviot Hills: north of Hadrian's Wall, they extend into Scotland and may be considered part of the Southern Uplands of Scotland. Cotswolds: a famous range of hills and a popular tourist destination in west-central England between the Shropshire and Chiltern Hills. Dartmoor: an upland moor in Devon which is a national park and a popular tourist destination located in south-west England. Exmoor: a national park bordering the Bristol Channel and located in Somerset and Devon counties in south-west England. Forest of Bowland: near the Yorkshire Dales and the South Pennines, but part of the Pennine range. Lake District: famous for its mountains, lakes and waterfalls close to the Pennine range Mendip Hills: limestone hills in Somerset County south of Bristol North Downs: between Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover and close to London. North Pennines: are south of Hadrian's Wall and east of the Lake District. North York Moors: near the North Yorkshire coastal towns of Whitby and Scarborough. North Wessex Downs: between the Chiltern Hills and the Mendip Hills. Peak District: a beautiful area of the Pennines close to Manchester and Sheffield. Shropshire Hills: a beautiful hilly area of England near the Welsh border. Southern Pennines: is a continuation of the Pennines range from the Yorkshire Dales. Yorkshire Dales: is a continuation of the Pennine range from the North Pennines.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

4. What is Britain?

30

Questions

(i) What is an English County? (ii) Describe where Somerset, Bristol and Yorkshire are located.

4.1. An interview with five young people in Britain. Listen to the dialogue and fill in the blank with the words you hear. Anna: My name's Anna Pearscall, and I'm from __________. Sophie: I'm Sophie Levy, and I'm from __________. Will: My name's Will Snell, I come from __________. Alex Turco: My name's Alex Turco, I come from __________. Aex Ross: I'm Alex Ross, I come from __________. 4.2. Anna, Sophie, Will, Alex Turco and Alex Ross speak about the places they come from. Listen to the conversation and fill in the blanks with the word you hear. Anna: I really like it, actually. There's lots of __________ around ... and always a lot to do. It's great. Lots of __________. Sophie: It's rather boring, really. And coming from the __________ ... it's a lot colder than down __________ ... and there's not much to do. And it's got a very bad _______________. Everyone's always very rude about it. Interviewer: What do you mean by a bad reputation? Why are people rude about it? Sophie: Well, people just think the __________ full of ... _________ people ... a bit wild, really ... bit __________. Interviewer: What do you think of your home town? I mean, you're still in it, aren't you?

Counties of England.

Map of England.

4. What is Britain?

31

Will: Yes, well I used to live in __________ and compared to London, __________ is so much smaller that you can do a lot more. And ... it's still big enough to be ________________, which is a good balance. Interviewer: And you've come, __________, you've come in from the countryside, as it were, in ____________? Alex Turco: Well, not really the _______________. I actually live by the __________ ... and we've got a _________ and we get lots of __________ ... There are quite a few shops but they're not really open in the __________. So in the winter it tends to be quite boring. But because I'm a __________ I'm in Bristol, there are quite a few shops, so I, there are plenty, there are plenty of activities to do. Interviewer: And you Alex, the second ________, what do you think of your home ________, which is this one, isn't it? Alex Ross: I live slightly outside _________ so where I live is more countryside and it's rather boring but the _________ itself is very interesting and exciting. Exercise. The five young people talk about the places they live and other aspects of their life. Fill in the boxes with the correct information for each student. Anna Sophie Will Alex Turco Alex Ross Where do they live?

Where did they live previously?

Interesting features where they live

Positive description of where they live

Negative description of where they live

4. What is Britain?

32

4.3. Sophie talks about the difference between the North and South in England. Listen to the dialogue and fill in the blank with the words you hear. Interviewer: And you're from _______________. Ah ... how would you describe ... you say it has a bad reputation but perhaps you don't share that feeling. What do you think of it as a place in that sense and is it a rich area, a poor area, and what are the people like? Sophie: ... it tends to vary really, I mean __________________covers a very large area, so whereas some places are very ________________ you obviously get pockets of _____________ as well. ... The people are very, very, very, .., (laughs) ... oh, got a bit carried away then! (laughs) The people are very friendly and ... I don't know, I think they tend to be a bit ____________ than the people down south ... less ______________ and ... perhaps less ______________________ in their ways. Interviewer: Whereabouts in Yorkshire are you from? Sophie: ... the ... the _________ __________ of Yorkshire. On the coast, near ___________.

Exercise (A) Sophie talks about the differences between the North and South of England and uses the words: affluent, poor, friendly, loud, restrained and conservative. Study and understand these words using your dictionary. Exercise (B) (i) Apply a tick (√) in the boxes below if you think Sophie’s use of the words affluent, poor, friendly, loud, restrained and conservative refer to the North or the South. (ii) Apply a (x) in the boxes if you think she her words do not apply to the North or South. (iii) Write ‘Not stated” if you think Sophie’s has not referred to the North or South.

North South

affluent

poor

loud

restrained

conservative

Questions (i) What are the closest towns to York? (ii) What are the counties that make up Yorkshire?

4. What is Britain?

33

4.4. Three students talk about the differences between London and the rest of England. Listen to the dialogue and fill in the blank with the words you hear. Interviewer: And how do you feel about Bristol and its people? Will: I think they're very nice ... They're a lot less aggressive than in London, I would say, more laid back ... obviously there's variety wherever you go but ... a good impression generally. Interviewer: How long ago did you leave London? Will: Five years ago. And when ... I didn't notice it at the time but when you go back, you do notice how much more aggressive and fast and stressed the life there is. Interviewer: Have you ever been to London? Sophie: I've visited it and ... my cousins live there.... I don't know, I think I'd prefer to live there because I mean I hope to go to university there possibly and certainly live there in the future. I'd either want to live in London or abroad. I don't think I want to live anywhere else.... That probably stems from growing up in the provinces. I think people who actually grow up in London want to get out. A lot of them go to Leeds to university, which is further north ... but certainly I'd be heading for London. Interviewer: How about you? Would you think of heading for London or is it a place you'd rather avoid? Anna: For a while, I really, really wanted to live in London because of all the things to do and so many people there but I think it's really expensive. And as far as going to university there I think I'd be so poor at university anyway that I'd rather be somewhere where there wasn't quite so much expense. I think it can be, my Mum lived there for quite a while and she said that it can get really lonely there sometimes 'cause there are so many people there. Sophie: That's what my Dad said, 'cause he was a student there too. Exercise. Write the word(s) which each young person to describe their experience or opinion of London.

Differences between London and where they live Will

Sophie

Anna

4. What is Britain?

34

4.5. Important Events in British History. The Roman invasion (AD 43) and occupation of Britain.. The Romans made southern Britain a part of their empire for almost four centuries. During

their occupation they built an extensive network of roads which continued to be used in later centuries. Many of Britain's major cities, such as London, Manchester, Chester, Bath and York were founded by the Romans. The Romans also built water supply, sanitation and sewage systems. During the Roman occupation towns grew up along the main roads they built and agriculture was developed on large estates.

King Alfred defeats the Danes (AD 878). Alfred was the king of the southern kingdom of Wessex from 871 to 899. He was the only English king to be awarded the title 'the Great' for his defeat of the last Danish Viking invasion of Britain in the 9th century.

King Alfred defeated the Vikings who invaded Britain

with 300 ships carrying Viking warriors and their families. Alfred the Great was also a learned man and encouraged education and improved his kingdom's law system as well as its military. Alfred established an army and navy, divided the country into shires, and rebuilt the city of London.

The Battle of Hastings (1066). The Battle of Hastings was fought between the invading Norman army of William the Conqueror, and the English army led by King Harold II. In the battle Harold II was killed and Duke William claimed

England. Norman French became the language of administration and justice. This had a lasting influence on the development of the English language.

Magna Carta (1215). In response to the tyranny of King John (1199-1216), the noblemen of England drew up a document designed to limit the powers of the king and guarantee the rights of the people. This document was written in Latin and called the Magna Carta which is

known in English as the Charter of Freedoms. The king was forced to sign this famous charter of personal and political liberty at a meeting with his barons at Runnymede near Windsor.

Henry VIII and the founding of the Church of England in 1533. Henry VIII was crowned king In 1509 at eighteen years of age. He is a significant figure in the history of the English monarchy and is popularly known for his struggles with the Roman Catholic Church and for having six wives. The Church did not approve of his first re-marriage and this ultimately led

to the creation of the Church of England with himself as the Supreme Head of the Church of England. He was a brutal King who was most notorious for the beheading of two of his wives.

The Elizabethan age and Shakespeare. The Elizabethan era is in honour of the reign Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). This period is considered to be a golden age in

English history for poetry and literature. During this time the Elizabethan theatre flourished and William Shakespeare and many others, composed plays that broke free of England's past style of plays and theatre. It was also the period when England was finally united with Scotland.

4. What is Britain?

35

Declaration of independence in N. America (1776). Britain's tried to impose taxes on the settlers of colonial states of North America to help finance its European wars. This led to a war of independence between England and the settlers for 18 years. Britain lost this war resulting in the creation of the United States of America. As a result Britain lost a valuable source of income from its former colony.

Union of Great Britain and Ireland (1800). The success of the American colonies in ending the rule of England inspired rebellion amongst the Irish, who had desired an independent republican state for a long time. The revolt was put down with great brutality. Following this, the Act of Union joined Ireland and Britain and a single legislative assembly was made for the two countries.

Battle of Waterloo (1815).

The Battle of Waterloo was fought near Waterloo in Belgium between the army of the French Empire under Napoleon Bonaparte and the Seventh Coalition which consisted of the Prussian army and an Anglo-Allied army under the command of the Duke of Wellington. Bonaparte's defeat at Waterloo put an end to his rule as the French emperor and diminished French military power in Europe.

Second World War (1939-1945). The defeat of Nazi Germany by Britain and its Allies is one of the most proud moments in British history. The memory of the war remains strong in Britain even today. It was a time of great hardship and sacrifice by the British people in the face of an invasion by a powerful enemy

who conquered almost all of Europe. Opening of the Channel Tunnel (1994). The tunnel from England to France allows cars and passengers to cross the Channel in 20 minutes. It is important because it symbolises the country's increasing links with Continental Europe in commerce and tourism.

The Beatles' first albums (1960s). The Beatles were one of the most successful and highly acclaimed musicians in the history of popular music. Over one billion of their music albums have been sold internationally. The Beatles were a music band from Liverpool, England, with a new style of rock music. This music had large appeal with the younger generation and their influence remains today. The Beatles music and lifestyle conveyed modern themes of society and was a break from the past. Their dress, hairstyle and their lifestyle was copied by young people all over the world. They also showed a growing social awareness through their music and were very influential during social and cultural revolutions of the 1960s. They became famous for their protest songs against war. The group consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

Question. What is your choice of the five most important events in British history? Explain.

4. What is Britain?

36

4.6. Three English students talk about their choice of the five most important events in British history.

Listen to the conversation and fill in the blanks with the word you hear.

Student 1: ... the five I put down were the __________ __________ of __________, ... I think 'cause

I'm doing __________ I notice how much Latin has influenced English. I think that's really important. Also

... __________ the __________, founding the __________ of __________, that's part of my History

syllabus. And, ... I think the break with __________ was really important. If you think about how much time

has elapsed since then and the Church of England is still in existence ... the union of __________

__________ and __________ ... especially with the problems in __________ __________, that is so

important; and I'm not sure how it can be sorted out now, it's just one of those horrible things. Also the

__________ __________ __________ ... I think that should be enough of a reminder to everyone that war

is unnecessary. And then the ___________ albums 'cause I think they started a revolution of a different type

and any band that survives still and is so popular forty years on has got to be pretty important.

Student 2: The five dates I chose were the __________ __________ of __________, __________

__________ defeating the __________, the __________ of __________, ... the __________ of __________

and the __________ __________ __________, because all five were dates when __________ either was or

nearly was invaded. Well I'm assuming that the Danes would have invaded if King Alfred hadn't defeated

4. What is Britain?

37

them, I'm not actually sure. But ... so and I mean for example the Second World war we almost had a

__________ regime ... and the Romans' invasion and the Battle of Hastings were obviously very important

transition points and you can't really have much more of a significant change than a change of regime.

Student 3: 1 think __________ was the _________ __________ and I think that's when the sort of the

first hint of sort of __________ came into the country sort of thing. There was the first sort of ___________

was first created so that's I think that's very important. __________ the __________ founded the

__________ of ___________ in about ... __________ which was ... I think it was an important break. It

gave the country some more national identity. The __________ of __________ and the __________

_________ _________. I think they're both sort of almost together in that they've sort of stopped a sort of

greater ... probably well it was almost an invasion of ... the Battle of Waterloo I'm sure ___________ would

have come towards us if we hadn't stopped him and the Second World War ___________ tried to invade us

and so I think they're great turning points in history. And the fifth one I'd choose was ... 1966, 1 think,

which, when __________ won the __________ _________, which is the only time we've ever done it and

we're very proud of it so I think it's extremely important in our history.

5. Unity and Divisions

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5.1. Unification of the United Kingdom England has been an independent state for almost 1,000 years which is longer than any other European country. By the sixteenth century, Wales was fully incorporated into English administration and law. Britain became a single political entity by 1707, when the ancient kingdoms of Scotland and England were united. Ireland came under English military rule in the sixteenth century and was formally a part of the United Kingdom in 1801. Ireland achieved independence in 1921, with the exception of six northern counties which remained part of the United Kingdom. These counties were amalgamated to become Northern Ireland. Questions (i) Describe the stages of unification of Britain.

5.2. Divisions To an outsider, Britain usually evokes images such as the Queen, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London and the southern counties of England. It can also be assumed by foreigners that the British are a homogeneous society with a single identity. These are popular ideas of the United Kingdom but they are misleading. The United Kingdom is a land of great diversity, in its landscape and in its human sphere. It is said that nothing, angers or embarrasses the Scots, Welsh or Irish more than to be called English, or for all Britain to be referred to as England as they have their own distinctive identities. The regions of England also have their special identities, which tend to be stronger the further one travels from London and the south east. As one moves closer to a big city such as London, community loyalties weaken as the society in such big cities become more individualistic, which is the character of a modern society. Communities in the north are well known to have a strong sense of loyalty and identity. Each shire or ‘county', which are the administrative divisions of England created over 1,000 years ago, still command their own local loyalties. This can be expressed in the most English of games; cricket. The sense of local difference may be partly a matter of history, but it is also to do with the subtle changes in landscape, architecture or the way English is spoken. Questions (i) What is the difference between the terms 'British' and 'English'? (ii) ‘Popular ideas of Britain are misleading’. What does this statement mean? (iii) What is the meaning of the term 'community loyalties'? State if the following statements are true or false. (i) You can complement the Scot or Welsh by referring to them as Britons. True/False (ii) Britons have distinctive identities because they have identity cards. True/False (iii) The character of a modern society means how people live and work in a city. True/False 5.3. Distinctions in Speech The way English is spoken gives a British citizen a regional identity and can be associated with their class status too. Since the days of Shakespeare, the English dialect of south-east England has been considered the 'standard', because the south east has been the region of economic and political power. The emergence of an upper class and style of speech and accent, called 'received pronunciation' (RP), was established in the school system attended by the children of wealthy families. RP has been spoken for about a century and has become the accepted dialect of the national elite. Dialect is the style of grammar, vocabulary and accent of a group or class of people in a culture that shares a common language. There are two kinds of ‘received pronunciation’. 'Unmarked' RP suggests that the speaker is well educated (although many well educated people speak with a regional accent). It was the preferred accent used by journalists of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Through radio and television, ‘unmarked’ RP


39

has become a more widely spoken accent. A 1981 BBC staff handbook advocated the pronunciation 'of a person born and brought up in one of the Home Counties, educated at one of the southern Universities'. This was an indirect reference to RP. There is also 'marked' RP, which indicates high social class and is spoken, for example, by upper-class families, the aristocracy and members of the Royal family. The use of ‘marked’ RP by the upper-class of Britain was fashionable as it suggested the speaker had intelligence and authority. It is spoken by less than 5 per cent of the British population and those who speak RP have enjoyed social authority and superiority. However, RP's social status is now rapidly declining because the social snobbery and superiority it projected is no longer popular with the British public. It does not elicit the deference it used to and some regional accents have acquired greater standing. In the early 1990’s, call centre companies sought to find out which British accent conveyed trustworthiness, competence and friendliness by a survey of their callers. These callers found that a person with a Yorkshire accent gave them a feeling of reliability and someone who spoke with a West Country accent conveyed a sense of amiability, but it was the Scots accent that scored highly in all three factors. Prejudice remains against certain accents. People speaking with a West Midlands accent were trusted less than those with other regional accents and there was also prejudice towards some London accents. There is debate among British linguists as to whether dialect enriches or impoverishes the English language in Britain. Some believe that regional accents protect the culture of a local community and that to abandon them is to give way to the accents of the ruling class. Others argue that regional dialects are socially divisive. Questions (i) What are the characteristics of a speaker of ‘marked’ and ‘unmarked’ RP? (ii) Which regional accent of the UK do British people like the most? Why? (iii) Do you think that the many accents spoken in Britain are socially divisive? Should British people speak with one common accent such as RP? State if the following statements are true or false. (i) The way a Briton speaks English is not an important characteristic of their identity. True/False (ii) Britons who speak RP do so because they want to speak clear English. True/False (iii) Regional dialects are socially divisive because people cannot understand each other. True/False 5.4. Demography of Britain

The largest concentration of the British population has been in the south of the country for a long time. More people lived in the south due to better climate, agricultural land, and its proximity to the European mainland for trade. Approximately one quarter of the British people now live within 40 km of London's Trafalgar Square. By the seventeenth century London had least 10 per cent of England's population. The only exception was during approximately 1775-1975, when the availability of water and coal led to the growth of large industrial towns and cities in the north and the Midlands regions of England. This distribution of the population can be drawn on a map of the United Kingdom to represent a ‘core’ and a ‘periphery’. This is achieved by drawing a series of arcs outwards from London, marking an inner and outer 'core' to the country, and an inner and outer 'periphery' as displayed on the adjacent map of Britain. The population density revealed by the core-periphery shows that the largest concentration is in the south east where over one-third of Britain's population lives, and also in areas of the Midlands and north of England as a result of the industrial age. The demography of Britain has been

Map of the 'Core and Periphery' of Britain


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constantly changing under the influence of the ‘core’. During the period 1980-95 there was a steady stream of young people, mainly aged between 18 and 35, from the North who moved southwards to the core in order to improve their economic prospects. Between 1981 and 1987, Scotland, the north and north-west of England lost 1.3 per cent of their populations. Similarly, there was economic migration of people from Cornwall in the far south west and from western Wales towards the core. Economic forecasts up to the year 2016 reveals that population growth will be in the outer core and inner periphery, areas where the greatest economic growth is expected. The forecasts predict that populations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will either be static or decline. The core-periphery pattern is also synonymous with the wealth, prosperity and authority radiating from London since the days of Roman Britain. This reveals that Britain is dominated by the south of England and particularly, the south east of England. The core is the centre of this economic and political power. The people in the periphery, particularly in Scotland, Wales and the north of England, have always resented the power of the south. The influence of the core–periphery upon living standards has created what has been described as the North South divide of Britain.

Population density by county, 1995

Estimated population change 1995‐2011 Questions (i) What is the 'core' area of Britain? What is the 'periphery' area of Britain? (ii) What is the evidence to support the core-periphery theory in Britain? (iii) Britain is dominated by the South. Explain this statement. State if the following statements are true or false. (i) The core-periphery of Britain is used to characterise the population density in Britain True/False (ii) Twenty five percent of Britons now live in the core. True/False (iii) Seventy five percent of people live in the outer core. True/False (iv) People who live in Scotland, Wales and in the 'North' live in the periphery. True/False (v) It is expected that by 2016 the core will be bigger. True/False


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5.5. The North South divide Over a century ago, the novelist Mrs Gaskell wrote a book entitled North and South, about a heroine from a southern village forced to move to the fictitious county of Darkshire in north England. The heroine detested all she had heard of northerners and the countryside of the north of England, reflecting the prejudice of people in the South for northern English. Mutual prejudice between the south and the north still persists and many popular prejudices exist up to the present day. Southern men are regarded as soft by northern men who consider themselves tough. Northern woman are considered flashier dressers. The northern English accent has often been ridiculed by southerners. The dividing line between north and south is a matter of opinion, but an accepted division is from the Humber across to the Severn Estuary (the border between South Wales and England). The divide goes well beyond mere prejudice. Socio- economic research has

shown that people in the north are economically and socially disadvantaged compared to people in the south. The living standards in Britain, they show that south east England, south England, south-west England, East Anglia and the East Midlands do much better than the other areas of Britain. Communities in the North are less wealthy, have poorer health and lack employment and education opportunities. Most of the wealth of the United Kingdom is concentrated in the South. A survey of prosperity in the 280 towns of Britain in 1990 showed this economic north-south divide very clearly. The most northerly of the ten most prosperous towns was Stratford-on-Avon in the Midlands. The most southerly of the poorest towns was north of Nottingham. Wealth of a region can be measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per person. This measure is the total market value of all final goods and services produced in a region divided by its population. Between 1986 and 1996, the highest GDP per person was in London, East Anglia and South-East of England while the lowest was in the north of England Wales and Scotland and Northern Ireland (see table below). The south east accounts for more than one-third of the total GDP of the United Kingdom.

Indexed GDP per person by regions in UK

£ £ £ Region 1986 1991 1996 North East 90.2 90.8 88.3 North West 93.3 94.1 92.3 Yorks/Humberside 95.2 94.1 92.7 East Midlands 96.4 96.0 93.5 West Midlands 90.1 93.8 94.4 East Anglia 103.9 106.3 107.0 London 118.8 113.8 116.4 South East England 106.9 107.0 110.6 South West England 105.7 101.8 99.2 England 101.4 101.0 101.1 Wales 88.5 91.2 89.9 Scotland 97.8 99.8 98.9 N.Ireland 86.6 87.7 87.6 National average GDP per person in UK = £100

Line showing North‐South Divide

The Dividing line


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Wages or salaries are another measure of prosperity of a region. Men in the south east of England earn the most and work the shortest week. The average earnings in the south east in the mid-1990s were 14 per cent above the national average while the north of England had the lowest average weekly wages. The divide is also seen in the area of employment. More people in the North do not have a job compared with the South. In 1997, areas in the north of England had the second highest unemployment level while Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland had the highest levels of unemployment (see the figure above). The average rate of unemployment in 1997 for the UK was 7.5 per cent, but it varied between 5.8 per cent in East Anglia and 11 .3 per cent in Northern Ireland. In 1997, male unemployment in Glasgow had risen to 25 per cent and in Wales, over 20 per cent of the population depended upon some form of state welfare. The North-South divide is also noticeable in other important areas such as in health. Death rates are highest in Scotland, followed by the north and north-west regions of England, and are lowest in the south east and East Anglia. The northern population generally is more prone to heart disease and cancer. People in the North tend to smoke and drink more heavily than in the South. The Scots, for example, spend about one-third more on smoking than the national average. The north-west England is the only English region where women outnumber men smokers. These habits are symptomatic of the greater stress and harder social conditions of life in the north. The North also suffers from a brain-drain of its talented people. This occurs usually due poor employment prospects. The greater employment opportunities in the south encouraged many in the North to seek work there. Generally, those most successful in their search were also the best qualified. Therefore, the poorer areas lose their most talented people. This brain-drain is made worse as poor school performance of children in the North does not ensure that talented people are easily replaced and therefore is another area of disadvantage for people in the North. In the mid-1990s Yorkshire and Humberside had the worst rate of absenteeism from school. The north of England had the worst school examination results in Britain. The north west of England had the lowest proportion of 16-year-olds still in school. Why do not many more people move from the poorer areas to search for work or a better education? Apart from personal reasons such as consideration for family and friends, there is a significant economic barrier. Housing and rents are much more expensive in the South and there are long waiting lists for public sector housing there. Generally, only young single people feel free to take the risks involved.

There are exceptions to the prosperity in the South and the depression in the north. Many businesses have made great successes in the North. The largest shopping centre in Europe in 1990, the Metro centre, is in the north at Gateshead, Newcastle. It is a symbol of the regional regeneration and rebirth of provincial pride. In the 1990s Newcastle University was among the most popular for students. Newcastle was viewed as a 'cool' city. Leading Japanese firms have chosen periphery areas for major investment, for example Toyota in Wales, and Nissan in Sunderland. There are also plenty of prosperous localities within an overall depressed region. Leeds, for example, boasted the fastest growing economy in England in 1990, with 50 major projects generating 12,000 jobs. The showpiece of Leeds's revival is its old shopping arcades, now renovated and renamed the Victoria Quarter. On the other hand, seven of London's 32 boroughs are among the poorest 10 boroughs in the whole of Britain.

Young peole who live in public housing on the edge of cities can have poor prospects for employment and higher education.

The north west of England is one of Britain's most depressed regions, but there are also plenty of bustling and prosperous areas.


43

However, there are not enough successes to reverse the overall trend in the North. There are factors which show that a more impoverished North still exists. All these facts indicate profound social and economic problems. Unemployment in the North generally is likely to remain three times higher than in the South for some time to come. Many young people are likely to continue to 'vote with their feet' by moving to more prosperous areas in the South. Questions (i) Discuss the North South Divide across Britain according to (a) Wealth, (b) Income distribution (c) Employment, (d) Health and (e) Education. (ii) Which of the two terms, 'core–periphery' or 'north–south divide', do you think best describes the social–economic differences in Britain? Explain your choice. Exercise. Fill in blanks to complete an essay (below) on the information contained in the map by using the words below. average weekly earnings British pounds East of

England earnings earnings earnings four

fourth fourth fourth highest highest London

lowest lowest lowest north of England Northern

Ireland Scotland second second South East

third third third United Kingdom Wales weekly West Midlands

This map shows the distribution of ______________ ____________ _______________ across the ____________

______________in ______________ ____________. There are ________ categories of ____________ earnings. The

______________ category is for ________________ of £360 or more. The ____________ and __________ highest

categories are for ________________ between £340-£359 and £320-£339, respectively. The ____________ or

____________ category is for ________________of £310 or less.

The information reveals that the weekly earnings of people living in ____________, the __________ ________ and

________ ____ _____________are the highest. The weekly earnings for people in areas in the __________ ____

_____________ are generally in the ____________, __________or ____________ category of earnings. This is with

the exception of the ________ ________________ area, where people are in the ______________ category. The

earnings of people in __________ and ________________ are usually in the __________ and ____________

categories while people in ________________ ______________ are mostly in the ____________ or ____________

category.

(iv) Does this information confirm or qualify ideas such as the north–south divide, and core–periphery? Explain. State if the following statements are true or false. (i) The core-periphery theory can make us understand the North South divide True/False (ii) Thirty three percent of wealth in Britain is created in the south east of England. True/False (iii) The North South divide refers to the division between the southern and northern English. True/False (iv) People who live in the 'North' are not healthy because they do not earn a lot of money. True/False (v) People in the North especially school children suffer bad health such as 'brain drain'. True/False (vi) All people who live in the North are poor, suffer bad health and are poorly educated. True/False (vii) Some areas in the North have the fastest growing economies True/False (viii) Some areas of the South are the poorest in Britain. True/False (ix) There will need to be more business investment and government action to improve the conditions in the North in the long term. True/False

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6.1. Traditional food and cooking For several centuries British cuisine was often based around what was commonly called "meat and two veg". This meal consisted of roasted, grilled or boiled meat, usually beef, pork or lamb. It was eaten with boiled or steamed green vegetables such as beans or broccoli and root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots or turnip. The use of spices or herbs such as peppers, garlic and onion or sauces was not a cooking tradition in Britain. The frying of meat or vegetables with cooking oil was not practiced either with the exception of sausages which were cooked in lard. English sausages were made from fresh meats that were not smoked, dried, or strongly flavoured with herbs and spices like European or Asian sausages. Traditional British cuisine therefore had a reputation of being bland and heavy. However, modern British cuisine has been made more interesting by foreign influences such as immigration. For example, a most popular British dish today is an Indian curry called Chicken tikka masala. A former British Government Minister, ex Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said it was "Britain's true national dish".

Meat and two 'veg' (vegetables) Chicken tikka masala and rice.

The Sunday roast dinner, made of roasted beef or pork (or turkey at Christmas) with vegetables, is the most traditional feature of English cooking and eaten throughout the United Kingdom. The English are also famous for fish and chips and there are a large number of restaurants and take-away shops selling this meal throughout the United Kingdom. Traditionally, it is served with salt and vinegar. The English breakfast also known as "a cooked breakfast" is another tradition in the United Kingdom. It usually consists of fried or scrambled eggs and bacon or sausages, grilled tomatoes, bread and mushrooms. Meat pies are another traditional English meal adopted throughout the United Kingdom. They are made with pastry and filled with meat and sometimes vegetables, and cooked by baking in an oven. Scotland, Wales and Ireland but have many specialities of their own. Some are included the list of traditional British meals described in the following paragraphs. Match the correct name of each meal (below) to their descriptions using the pictures of each meal in the following page. Bacon and eggs Cornish pasties Fish and chips Haggis Kippers Marmalade Porridge Rice pudding Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding Sausages and mash Scones Shepherd’s pie Smoked salmon Sandwiches A._______________ ______is a traditional English dish made with minced meat which is covered with mashed potato. The meat is typically beef or lamb left over from a Sunday roast. This term tends to be used when the meat is lamb. B.____________ is Scotland’s best-known regional dish. It is made from lamb’s offal (lungs, liver and heart) mixed with suet (animal fat), onions, herbs and spices and cooked in sheep intestine. C. _______ ______ __________ are a popular take-away food originating from Britain. It consists of deep-fried fish (traditionally cod) in batter or breadcrumbs with deep-fried sliced pieces of potato. It remains very popular in the United Kingdom and countries having large numbers of descendants of the UK such as Australia and New Zealand.

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D. Scottish ____________ ____________ is orange in colour. It is prepared by being smoked in sherry oak-barrels, which gives it a characteristic oaky taste with a tender, buttery and very delicate texture and flavour. E.____________________ are made from meat and salad vegetables that are pressed between two slices of bread. It was named after the 4th Earl of Sandwich, an 18th-century English aristocrat. Lord Sandwich was fond of this form of food because it allowed him to continue playing cards while eating without getting his hands and cards greasy. F. British-style __________________ is a sweet preserve with a bitter tang made from fruit and sugar. It is most often consumed on toasted bread for breakfast. The citrus fruit favoured for marmalade production in the United Kingdom is the ‘Seville orange’ imported from Seville in Spain. G.____________ are of Scottish origin. They are made of wheat, barley or oatmeal, usually with baking powder as a leavening agent. They are often lightly sweetened, but may also be savory. The word was first mentioned by a Scottish poet in 1513. About two thirds of the British population (and 99% of the Scottish population) pronounce it as skon.

H. _______________ is made by boiling oats (normally rolled oats or oatmeal) in water and milk. It is a traditional breakfast of Scotland (where it is also spelled porage). In Scotland, the art of making this meal is competitive, with the World ________________Making Championships held annually in October each year in Cambridge in Inverness-shire. I. ________________ ______ ________is an English meal made of _______________ and potato. The _______________ may be made of pork or beef with apple or tomato seasoning. The dish is usually served with rich onion gravy. ______________ are sometimes referred to as "bangers". J. __________ ________ ______ __________________ ______________ has been the traditional English Sunday dinner. It is cooked by roasting joint of meat and having a large tin underneath to catch the dripping fat to make the pudding. The pudding may also be made in the same pan as the meat, after the meat has been cooked and removed to another dish.

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K. ____________ is also known as a red herring, is a whole fish that has been split from tail to head, eviscerated, salted, and cold smoked. It is eaten grilled for breakfast. L. ______________ _____________ are a type of pie associated with Cornwall. It has a baked savory pastry case traditionally filled with diced meat, sliced potato and onion. M. __________ ______ ________ is a popular meal throughout Britain. Depending on where it is made, it can be also called a fry up, The Great British breakfast, a full English breakfast, a full Irish breakfast, a full Scottish breakfast a full Welsh breakfast or an Ulster fry. Such breakfasts are no longer an everyday occurrence in many British or Irish households due to time constraints and are the business of many cafés in hotels, guest houses and bed-and-breakfasts. N. In the United Kingdom, ________ ______________ is a traditional dessert that is very popular. It is made with a special pudding rice, milk, cream, sugar and is sometimes flavoured with vanilla, nutmeg or cinnamon. It can be made in two ways, by cooking it in a saucepan or by baking it in an oven. Whilst cooking, the pudding should develop a thick crust which adds an interesting texture to the pudding when eaten. Britons also have a tradition of giving dishes strange and surprising names, for example, Bubble and Squeak. It is thought that this name was given to this meal because of the sound of the cooking of this food. Other names have been given according to what the meal looks like, for example, Toad in the hole, because the meal looks like toads (or frogs) looking out of a hole. Study the pictures and names of the British meals (below) and then match them with their description.

1. Black pudding 2. Bubble and squeak 3. Devils on horseback

4. Scotch woodcock 5. Toad in the hole 6. Welsh rarebit (rabbit)

Description Meal No. Ox liver or prunes wrapped in bacon and grilled with hot pepper. Fried onion, cabbage and potatoes. Toasted bread with anchovies, egg yolks and cream. A sausage made with pigs or ox blood, onions, oatmeal and fat. It is made with bread, beer, mustard and cheese. Sausages baked in Yorkshire pudding batter

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Question. Traditional British cuisine had a reputation of being bland and heavy. Explain this statement. State if the following statements are true or false. (i) Meat and 'two veg' is a traditional British dish. True/False (ii) Chicken tikka masala is a traditional British dish. True/False (iii) Traditional British food would taste quite strange and tasteless to a Vietnamese. True/False (iv) A Sunday roast dinner is the evening or night meal of the British. True/False 6.2. Attitudes to British Cooking Writers and chefs of British cuisine have expressed good, bad or mixed opinions of British food and cooking in books, magazine and newspaper articles. The following articles provide insight to some opinions or experiences of British food and cooking by Britons and foreigners. Derek Cooper, The Bad Food Guide: We Britons are internationally famous for our gardens, our dogs, our beer, our cloth, our cars, our villages, our whisky, our public schools, our monarchy, our democratic institutions, our cricket. Umpteen books have been written explaining their glories to those unfortunate enough to have been born outside these islands. But nobody has yet written a book about the bad food for which we are equally famous overseas. Antony and Araminta Hippisley Coxe. Book of Sausages: During World War I, when I was about four years old and living in Hampshire, my grandparents provided refuge for a displaced Belgian family. The head of the family, Monsieur Schoof was a charcutier and he found a job with a butcher in a nearby town. On his first free day from work, he cycled eight miles to tell us that we should never buy sausages from the shop in which he worked. They were a travesty. He thought the ingredients used were utterly deplorable and the abysmal ignorance of his master beyond comprehension. At that age I was amazed that sausages could arouse such vehement passions in a man. Guide Bleu, Grande Bretagne: In England, especially in the big towns, fish and chips and hamburgers have gradually replaced the traditional lamb and mint sauce, while sweets and snacks are for 'peckish' moments between meals. Bad eating habits start very young. Some shops sell bottles of spaghetti with Bolognese sauce for babies and you often see one-year-olds with hamburgers in their mouths. Yet for many Britons, Sunday lunch remains sacred. British families still enjoy their famous roast beef or roast pork, accompanied by the traditional Yorkshire pudding (a kind of souffle), not forgetting roast potatoes of course, and perhaps some peas, green beans or, in winter, brussels sprouts. Sheila Hutchins, English Recipes: The idea that the Puritans with their miserable diet of pickled herrings influenced English cooking is as false as the French delusion that we only had one sauce. In the early eighteenth century we ate more and we ate better than people in the rest of Europe. Travellers said that nowhere else could you find such tender juicy steaks, such luscious thick-cut mutton chops and huge prime cuts of beef grilled on a spit or gridiron. Our pies were famous and the cooking in our taverns and chop houses was renowned throughout Europe. Australian Associated Press, October 8, 2008: The people in Rotherham in Yorkshire are angry with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. Residents were offended by their hometown's portrayal in his latest TV show called the Ministry of Food. The series teaches parents who are used to buying junk food and takeaway food how to cook. Residents have accused him of portraying their town people as "dumbos" and "numpties”. The show features people who rarely cook at home and one mother who cannot detect if water is boiling. A former chef, Alan Dale, 56, was quoted in the newspaper as saying: "My message to Jamie is to stay away from Rotherham."Feelings are running high because he has made us look like idiots." Questions (i) The five articles on British food and cooking contain positive, neutral or negative opinions. Identify them and write them in the table below.

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Name of Article Positive comment Neutral comment Negative comment (ii) What is your opinion of British food after reading these five articles? Do they confirm that British food is ‘bland and heavy’? (iii) A British person asks you "How is Vietnamese food and cooking different to British food and cooking"? Explain the difference.

6.3. Eating habits. Eating and drinking habits have changed considerably in Britain in the last hundred years. J. C. Drummond and Anne Wilbraham, writing for The Englishman's Food wrote the following. ‘There were few notable changes during the nineteenth century, but one striking fact which emerges is the growth in popularity of what has come to be known as the typical English breakfast. While the more old-fashioned people remained faithful to the eighteenth-century breakfast of cold meat, cheese and beer. The majority of wealthy

people adopted the three or four-course meal of porridge, fish, bacon and eggs, toast and marmalade, which maintained its popularity for a century. But today it has been abandoned in favour of a lighter and simpler type of meal.’ The lighter and simpler meal that Anne Wilbraham refers to is a breakfast of fruit, milk and cereal such as oats or wheat. These modern eating habits are exampled in the eating habits of a British teenager detailed in the following page. Questions Write down the changes in British eating habits Anne Wilbraham wrote for magazine called ‘The Englishman's Food, in the table on the next page. State if the following statements are true or false. (i) The Englishman's Food must have been a daily newspaper in Britain a long time ago. True/False (ii) People ate cold meat for breakfast because they could not use a fire early in the morning. True/False

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18th century 19th century Today

My Eating Habits! I would not say I was a fussy eater and the only thing I really do not like is fish. I'm always scared I'll swallow a bone! I try to eat a balanced diet and I always have breakfast, lunch and tea which are quite healthy because I have them at home. Sometimes, I am not so good between meals and eat crisps and chocolate. There is a McDonald's near my house, so it is really easy to go in there and buy a burger! I never used to eat vegetables but I'm starting to eat more of them now. I try to eat fruit fairly often too, but looking at what I have eaten all week, there doesn't seem to be much fruit!

Pamela

Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Breakfast Rice Krispies

and toast Porridge, toast and jam

Porridge and toast

Porridge Porridge

Mid-morning Apple Lunch Chicken soup 2 bread rolls with

sausage Chicken soup Tomato soup

and bread Ham sandwich

Mid-afternoon

Cheese and onion crisps, Mars Bar

Stick of rock

4 Gingernut biscuits

2 biscuits

Dinner Lasagne, chips and garlic bread

Roast beef, potatoes, cauliflower, roast potatoes, broccoli, sweetcorn, apple pie

Ham salad, pasta and roast potatoes.

Scotch pie, chips and beans

Spaghetti bolognese and garlic bread, ice-cream and fruit

In-between 2 Kit Kats Sandwich, Kit Kat Tomato flavoured crisp

Ice-cream cone, Glacier Mints

Wotsits, Monster Munch

Supper Packet of crisps, toast.

Cornflakes, cheese and onion crisps

Crunchy Nut Cornflakes with milk

Crunchy Nut Cornflakes with milk

Another bowl of Crunchy Nut Cornflakes with ice-cold milk!

Questions (i) Find the meaning of the following words from your dictionary and by an internet search. Supper, Rice Krispies, Cornflakes, Crunchy Nut Cornflakes, Cheese and onion crisps, tomato flavoured crisps, Wotsits, Monster Munch, Mars Bar, Kit Kat, Glacier Mints, Stick of rock, toast, ham salad, pasta, Lasagne, spaghetti Bolognese. (ii) What is the name (in one word) that you can give for the food Pamela eats at mid-morning, mid-afternoon and in-between dinner and supper? State if the following statements are true or false. (i) By saying 'I am not so good between meals' Pamela means she does not study if she eats crisps and chocolates between meals. True/False

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Menus: British hotels and restaurants provide customers with a number of breakfast menus but they may not be entirely British breakfasts. Some of the most common breakfast menus are detailed below.

Menu 1 Menu 2 Menu 3 Orange juice or fresh fruit cocktail Cereal or Porridge Bacon, sausage & eggs, Kedgeree, or Kippers Toast, rolls, butter & marmalade Coffee, tea or hot chocolate

Orange juice or fresh fruit cocktail Croissants, Brioches, butter & jam Coffee, tea or hot chocolate

Orange juice or fresh fruit cocktail Cereal Ham and eggs Pancakes & maple syrup Muffins, bagels, butter & jam Coffee, tea or hot chocolate

Question - Study the three menus above. Which one is British? North American? Continental? 6.4. Students from Edinburgh talk about what they eat. Listen to the conversation and fill in the blanks with the word you hear. [I= Interviewer, B1=Boy 1, B2=Boy 2, B3=Boy 3, G1=Girl 1, G2=Girl 2, G3= Girl 3] I So what do you eat for choice? Say, you’re going out with a group of friends; admittedly you haven’t got a lot of money to spend, but what would you go for? What sort of food would you go for? B1 Usually probably __________. Maybe __________, ________ and __________, yeah, just your ________ ________ and your _______ __________, and __________, quite a lot of __________ is eaten over here, quite a lot. Erm, that is mainly it. I Nobody’s said ____________________. B2 Yeah but that’s like an ‘in-town’ thing, it’s usually for lunch as opposed to going out in the evening. I Sure. What I really mean to find out was what sort of food is most popular in your sort of group of friends? B2 Probably ________ and __________. And __________ as well. G1 _____________________ foods. Like ...places like McDonalds and Burger King have ___________________ and __________ and that, they’re just ______________________ foods really. I mean they taste great, but most folk just, just ....I mean they’re quick, they’re fairly cheap, so you just go in, get out and out you go. I But do you think you have a different view of what you should eat compared to what your parents say? I mean you might say I want ________ and __________ and they say I’d rather you had, you know, __________ and __________ __________. G2 ...Not really. We’ll sort of have _________ and __________ every so often, and then sort of a bit more healthy stuff in between. If we sort of all feel like having a big ________ food meal then we’ll just get one in. And it’s great. I But you don’t, you don’t....it doesn’t become an issue at home?

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G2 No. Not really. I Does it for you at all? G3 Not an issue as such, but my folks, my parents are always saying oh you should eat more __________ and I don’t eat enough _________________ and __________ and all the rest of it. We don’t....We’re not exactly the ________ ________ family, but certainly I enjoy the ________________ and _________ if I want to. But erm, no, I think it’s important to have a sort of variety rather than just one set meal, you know. So it’s not been a set issue, no. I Is it an issue where you live? B3 Not really. We sort of have a very varied diet throughout the week but usually on the weekends, maybe on a Friday or a Saturday night, we might go out and have a ______________ meal or an ____________ meal. We usually do that, but during the week it’s just your average ____________ and ....just a variety really. Question - What is the most popular food(s) with the students from Edinburgh? Do you think this is healthy food? How does these eating habits compare with Vietnamese students? 6.5. Fast Food While the eating of fish and chips is age-old tradition in Britain, the conversation of students from Edinburgh show that they also eat more modern fast foods such as hamburgers and pizza. The latter food is an traditional food from Italy. This popularity for fast foods such as hamburgers has rapidly replaced the eating and cooking of traditional food in Britain. The newspaper article from a famous British newspaper called The Guardian (below) reveals the enormous popularity of fast food from chain store companies in Britain. Burger Kings March on UK Stomachs The world's two biggest burger chains, McDonald's and Burger King, are planning big expansions to supply what they believe is the nation's increasing appetite for fast food. McDonald's intends to open 100 restaurants each year, to add to the 830 it has at present. Its big rival, Burger King, which has 455 restaurants, is to open 55 new outlets this year. Yesterday Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy at Thames University, declared himself an opponent of fast food. 'I would be congratulating the companies if they were moving into selling fruit and vegetables, but selling more burgers is hardly the sort of advance that the British diet needs,' he said. Professor Lang believes the American fast food wave has changed our eating habits. We have had fish and chips, Cornish pasties and sandwiches for a long time, but the difference is that the burger chains set up in prime High Street spots to tempt us in. “We can't say people are not enjoying it. They are buying it and eating it. But does this represent a wholesome healthy food culture? My honest opinion is no". The answer, says Professor Lang, is to get the British back into their kitchens by teaching children to cook. Children used to learn to cook either at home around the age of 6 to 8 or at school between 12 and 15. Now they miss the second chance and are subjected to the 'burgerisation' attitude of 'why bother to cook when you can nip out and get a burger or a pizza?' [The Guardian December 1977] Questions (i) What is fast food? Why is it called fast food? (ii) Are people eating more modern fast in the UK? If so, why are they eating more fast food? State if the following statements are true or false. (i) Professor Lang congratulates the fast food companies for opening more stores in Britain. True/False

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6.6. Obesity A person becomes obese when they accumulate excessive body fat. This is bad for their health as obesity is associated with serious illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, hypertension and diabetes. The graphs below show that weight problems of British children and adults have increased dramatically in the last 20 years. Large changes in the eating habits of Britain have occurred in this period such as by the eating of modern fast foods and convenience foods. The consumption of fast food may contribute to obesity in adults and children if they are eaten regularly and when they contain high levels of unhealthy substances such as fats, sugars and sodium salt. Most but not all modern fast food contain unhealthy food substances.

Percentage of overweight children in Britain

Percentage of obese men and women in Britain

. www.statistics.gov.uk

The choices an individual or culture makes when selecting the food they eat each day is called an eating pattern. There has been a significant change in British eating patterns in about the last twenty-five years, as summarised in the table on the following page. This shows some emphasis on health and on the consumption of frozen and convenience foods.

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Changes in Average Household Consumption in Britain between 1986 and 1996

Fish +4% Fats -22% Processed fresh vegetables +5% Eggs -39% Other fresh vegetables +2% Milk and cream -12% Fresh fruit +19 Cheese -4% Processed fruit and nuts +12% Meat and meat products -11% Cakes and biscuits +10% Fresh potatoes -26% Flour and cereal products +22 Fresh green vegetables -24% Sugar and preserves -34% Bread -15% Beverages (non alcohol) -19% Exercise. Fill in the blanks to complete a summary of the information, from the table above, about the changes in eating habits of Britons between 1986 and 1996. beverages biscuits bread British Britons cakes cream eggs fats food consumption

fruit fresh green vegetables healthy information less meat milk nuts other fresh vegetables

potatoes processed processed processed fruit regularly sugar unhealthy weight

This ______________________ shows that ______________are eating ________ of foods that are

_________________ when eaten in large quantities, i.e., ________, ________, ________ and __________,

________, ________________, __________, __________and __________________. They are also eating

more __________________ foods that are unhealthy if eaten __________________ such as

__________________ __________ and ______, __________ and ________________. Moreover, they are

eating less of some ____________ foods such as __________ __________ ____________________. These

changes in ________ ______________________ in ______________ households are one cause for

____________ problems in children and obesity in adults. On the positive side, they are eating more

__________, __________________ and __________ ___________ ____________________.

Questions (i) What is obesity? Explain in your own words. (ii) What are the health problems associated with obesity? How does diet influence obesity? (iii) Is obesity increasing in Britain? Explain (iv) What would be the percentage of obese men and woman in Britain, in 2009? State if the following statements are true or false. (i) An obese person is more likely to suffer a heart attack, diabetes or hypertension. True/False (ii) A modern fast food store sells soup such as Phở. True/False (iii) A person will become obese if they eat fast food. True/False (iv) In Britain, women are more obese than men. True/False (v) Between 1999-2002, children were less obese than adults in Britain. True/False (v) Convenience foods are meals that are already ready to eat in either tins or packets. True/False (vi) Frozen foods can either be convenience food or vegetables, meats, fish, pastry and fruit that is ready for cooking or eating. True/False

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6.7. Beer and the Pub Beer is the most popular drink among men, in the UK. Their consumption is higher than that of women. The drinking of wine has also increased in the UK. A high proportion of beer is drunk in public houses called 'pubs'. The British pub is a very old and popular social establishment in the United Kingdom. Its history can be traced to the Anglo-Saxon alehouses of the fifth century. The Saxon alewife put a green bush on a pole to inform people that her ale was ready to drink. Ale is a type of beer brewed from malted barley and hops and yeast to ferment the brew. The beer has a sweet-bitter taste. Hops give ale its bitter flavour and helps preserve it. It was

introduced from the Netherlands in the early 15th century. In early times, the low alcohol content of beer was considered harmless and beer was also thought to be nutritious. The drinking of beer was encouraged by the Beer Act of 1830 to stop people drinking gin which was a cheap strong alcoholic drink that was causing social problems among the poorer classes of Britain. By 1840 there were approximately 46,000 beer houses.

In the nineteenth century, beer houses were replaced by public houses managed by a publican who had to be licensed to carry out his or her business. These public houses became the pubs of the modern day. At present, there are approximately 57,500 pubs in the UK. While beer is the main drink imbibed in a pub, spirit drinks such as whiskey, brandy and gin are also drunk in a pub. Approximately eighty four percent of pubs are small businesses managed by a publican or licensee. The licensee is either the lessee or the owner of the pub. All other pubs are owned by a pub company or a brewery. Approximately eighty percent of adult Britons are regular pub goers and over fifteen million drink in a pub at least once a week. Most pubs have a public bar and a lounge bar which can also be called a saloon bar. The lounge bar usually contains dining tables for eating. It is the more expensive bar as it gives patrons more privacy and has a better decor than a public bar. Meals are sometimes available in the public bar and are known as counter meals. At present, British pubs serve more than one billion meals a year. The modern day pub has expanded to include music, games and gambling. Some pubs will specialise in offering patrons a particular style of jazz or rock music. Darts, pool and snooker are some of the most popular games played in a pub. Watching sporting events, such as horse racing or soccer, on a large television screens has also become very popular in pubs. Most pubs now have poker machines for

gambling. British pubs are renowned for their traditional names which gives them a historical feeling. A survey of British pubs found that the most popular names are Red Lion, Royal Oak, White Hart, Rose and Crown, Kings Head, Kings Arms, Queens Head, The Crown. Since 2006 smoking in pubs is prohibited by law. The United Kingdom has the sixth highest beer consumption in the world after the Czech Republic, Ireland, Germany, Australia and Austria. Per capita consumption in the United Kingdom was 99 litres per person in 2004. This is contrasted by beer consumption in Vietnam where per capita consumption was 21 litres per

Excerpt of 'Beer Lane' depicting beer drinking in England in 1751 by William Hogarth.

The Rose and Crown Pub in London and its public bar.

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person in 2008 and is estimated to increase to about 30 litres person in 2013. Beer accounted for an estimated ninety eight per cent of all sales of alcoholic drinks in Vietnam in 2008, showing beer drinking is as popular as in the UK. Health and social problems are associated with excessive drinking of beer and other alcoholic drinks in the UK. Although the imbibing of alcohol while socialising in pubs is enjoyed and valued by the majority of Britons, there are social and health costs associated with the excessive consumption of alcohol. Mental disorders and damage to organs such as the liver, pancreas, heart, brain and central nervous system are associated with the excessive intake of alcohol. Exercise. Study the graph of alcohol related health problems in England and fill the blanks in a paragraph of explanation of this graph (below) with the following words. alcohol alcohol alcohol consumption alcohol related illnesses alcohol related deaths Britain deaths deaths England England England England’s four hospital illnesses illnesses increased Scotland seventeen thirty nine Wales 2002/03 2007/2008 45,000 62,400 49,652,000 51,710,301 The graph shows that _______________ admissions of people with ______________ related

_________________ have ________________ from ___________ in 2002/03 to ___________ in 2007/08

in ______________. This is a ____________ ________ percent an increase in _____________

_____________ ________________. Similarly, alcohol related ____________ have increased from 5582 in

_____________ to 6541 in ___________ which is an increase of _________________ percent in

_____________ ______________ ____________.

These increases are much larger than the increase in total population of _____________ between 2002 and

2008. The population was __________________ in 2002 and increased to __________________ in 2008,

showing that the ________________ population only increased by _________ percent during this time.

Therefore, more and more people are going to hospital or dying each year in ____________ due to

____________. This health problem is likely to be similar in ______________ and _________. Therefore, it

can be assumed that ____________ and _________________ due to ____________ _________________

are increasing in ______________.

Questions (i) Why did the Saxon alewife put a green bush on a pole to inform people her beer was ready? (ii) What is the evidence that British people enjoy going to a pub and drinking beer? (iii) What are the activities that are available to a person visiting a pub? (iv) What are the similarities and differences with drinking beer in Britain and Vietnam? (v) Find out about some of the diseases associated with drinking alcohol and explain it to the class. (vii) Do you think that Vietnam has alcohol related health problems? Explain why or why it is not so.

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State if the following statements are true or false. (i) A publican is the manager of a pub but does not own the pub. True/False (ii) A pub goer is someone who goes looking for a pub regularly. True/False (iii) About twenty percent of pubs in the UK that are owned by a company. True/False (iv) Australia is the fourth highest beer consuming country in the world. True/False (v) British people drink more beer than Germans. True/False (vi) Alcohol related illnesses and alcohol related deaths have both increased in England. True/False (vii) Alcohol related illnesses have increased faster than alcohol related deaths in England True/False (viii) In the UK, 86% of pubs are owned by a small business and 14% are owned by large companies. True/False 6.8. Eating Customs

The conduct of a person while eating a meal at a table with others is called ‘table manners’. Most families will observe table manners while they are eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. Table manners are especially observed on formal occasions such as business breakfasts, lunches and dinners and social occasions such as parties and birthdays. A person who does not observe table manners on these occasions would be considered rude and ill-mannered. Question (i) Explain the table manners in the above cartoon in your own words. Why are they important? (ii) How many of the British table manners depicted in the cartoon are observed in Vietnam. (ii) What are the differences between table manners in Vietnam and Britain?

7. The System of Government

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7.1. Introduction A system can be described as a group of components that are organised in a special way to carry out a specific function. For example, our universe is organised in particular way by the arrangement of the sun, the stars and the planets. These items function as a group in particular way known as the solar system. Similarly, there is a particular system of government in the United Kingdom called the Westminster System and has many components. They are chiefly a head of state, a Prime Minister and his or her parliamentary government and a parliamentary opposition who conduct activities according to the laws and constitution of the state and which are enforceable by the judiciary. In this chapter we will briefly study some important parts of this system. The term 'Westminster' is given to this system in reference to the Palace of Westminster which is the place where the British parliament was founded and is located up to the present day. The Westminster system is a very old and important system of government in the world. It has been adopted by many countries such as Commonwealth countries. Prior to the Westminster system, Britain had a feudal system where the monarchs ruled the country with nobleman as advisors. The monarch extracted taxes from the British people and imposed laws on them without their consent. The Sheriff of each local area known as a shire collected these taxes and administered the monarch’s laws on the people. This gradually changed after the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215 by King John. Today, the United Kingdom is governed by what is called a constitutional monarchy. This means that while the monarch is the head of state of the United Kingdom he or she is bound by the laws of its parliament and has to follow the directions of the parliament in all matters of state. The relationship between the Monarchy and the British parliament was established after a long struggle for power. In 1689, the parliament won this struggle by controlling most of the wealth of the country from taxes. The governing power of the United Kingdom is in the parliaments of United Kingdom, the Scottish Parliament and the National Assemblies of Wales and Northern Ireland. The parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme parliament. It can change the powers of the Scottish parliament and the assemblies of Wales and Northern Ireland. The laws passed by parliament of the United Kingdom and Scotland are interpreted and enforced by Law Courts of the United Kingdom, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. However, as with parliamentary supremacy, the law courts of the United Kingdom are the supreme body. In this chapter we will focus on the parliament of the United Kingdom which can be also referred to as the British Parliament. The control or executive power of the British Parliament is held by the government of the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister is the head of this government. Indeed, the true monarch in modern times is the Prime Minister. Questions (i) Find out which countries are Commonwealth countries. (ii) Find out which countries follow the Westminster system of Government using an internet search. (iii) The British people have been governed by two systems. Explain what they are in your own words? (vi) How many parliaments govern the United Kingdom and which one is the most important? Explain. State if the following statements are true or false. (i) A computer with its screen, hardware and software forms a computer system. True/False (ii) Britain's feudal system was simpler than the Westminster system and a better way to govern. True/False (iii) The Scottish parliament and the national assemblies of Wales and Northern Ireland follow the Westminster system. True/False

Map showing countries (darkened colour) that have adopted the Westminster system of government.


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7.2. The Monarchy The British monarchy has existed for over a thousand years and is a symbol of unity of the nation. It is therefore very important part of the Westminster system in the United Kingdom. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, is highly respected and has an important influence on the UK’s system of government. She receives a regular brief by the Prime Minister about Cabinet decisions and matters of national life. In return, she provides advice to the Prime Minster which is highly valued. Since 1952, the Queen has given weekly audience to 11 Prime Ministers and therefore has a lot experience in matters of state. The British monarchy is also called the British Crown or Crown. This signifies the monarch’s duties and powers as the head of state. Succession of the monarchy is hereditary. On the death of a reigning monarch, the oldest male child or Prince inherits the British crown. If there is no male inheritor, the Crown passes to the oldest female offspring or Princess of the monarch. By the laws of the British parliament the monarch must be a Protestant and is formally appointed in a coronation ceremony. The monarch has many functions and duties. The monarch is ceremonial head of the government and the judiciary, the head of the Church of England, and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. In parliamentary affairs, the monarch’s role is to summon, suspend or dissolve the Parliament. The monarch also gives royal assent to laws passed by the Parliament and appoints government ministers, judges, officers of the armed forces, governors, diplomats and bishops of the Church of England. The Monarch also confers honours, such as peerages and knighthoods and can remit sentences of convicted criminals. Finally, the monarch can declare war or make peace with other countries. However, this power has never been exercised in modern history as this is the duty of the parliament and the Prime Minister. With the exception of a bestowing some honours, the monarch discharges these functions at the direction of the government. The refusal of the Queen to exercise her power on matters of state according to the direction of her Prime Minister would risk a constitutional crisis. Questions (i) Who is a monarch? How can you become a monarch of Britain? (ii) Why is the monarch of the United Kingdom important for the Westminster system? (iii) Explain in your own words the meaning of the term ‘constitutional monarchy’. (iv) What are the duties and powers of a monarch? (v) Can the Crown exercise power on the Parliament or Prime Minister? What would happen if a monarch did this? State if the following statements are true or false. (i) Elizabeth II is an example of female inheritance of the monarchy. True/False (ii) To summon, suspend or dissolve the British Parliament means to officially open, halt or close its official activities. True/False (ii) If the Monarch refused the Prime Minister's request to summon or dissolve the parliament this would create a constitutional crisis. True/False 7.3. The British Parliament The Parliament is very ancient institution originating in the middle of the thirteenth century. It consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. It is also known as 'Westminster', as it is located in the Palace of Westminster which was once a home of the monarchy. This parliament is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom. The House of Lords was created to provide advisors for the Monarch from the British noble class. This institution is also referred to as the ‘Lords’. The name 'House of Commons' is derived

View of Westminster across Westminster Bridge at dawn.


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from the term ‘commoners’ that was used to describe people not from the noble class such as merchants, farmers and workers. It is popularly known as the ‘Commons’ and it was created to provide the king with money from the commoners of Britain. The House of Commons became increasingly powerful as it could obtain money from the people but could also withhold it from the monarch if it considered the request for money by the monarch was unreasonable or excessive. By the seventeenth century, the House of Commons had more control in financial matters and in the passing of laws compared with the monarch and the Lords. In modern times, the Parliament's functions are to make laws, to raise enough money through taxation to fund government spending, to examine government policy and administration, and to debate or discuss important political issues. Each parliamentary session begins with a ceremonial occasion called the State Opening of Parliament. The highlight of this event is the Queen's Speech which she delivers from her throne in the House of Lords. Her speech is written by the government, and describes the policies the government intends to implement during the forthcoming session of Parliament. Questions (i) Explain the difference between the terms ‘Westminster system’ and ‘Westminster’. (ii) What are the main institutions of the British parliament? (iii) Which House of the British parliament is more important for governing the UK? Why? State if the following statements are true or false. (i) There is no difference between the terms 'Westminster' and 'Westminster system'. True/False (ii) The British Westminster system is made up of the Houses of Parliament, the Monarchy and the Law Courts of the United Kingdom. True/False 7.4. The House of Commons The people of the United Kingdom vote for members of the House of Commons in general elections. These elections have to be held every five years but the Prime Minister can call for a general election before the end of a five year term by requesting the Queen to dissolve parliament and to declare a new general election. Voters belong to a constituency. Each constituency elects a Member of Parliament to represent them in the Commons. The UK is currently divided into 659 constituencies with 529 constituencies in England and 72, 40, and 18 in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, respectively. Voting is not compulsory but about 75 per cent of the electorate usually vote in elections. British citizens and citizens of the Irish Republic who are resident in the UK can vote in these elections. To be eligible to vote in an election, they must be older than 18 years and have to register in their constituency. They can be disqualified from voting if they are intellectually handicapped, or if they are a member of the House of Lords or a sentenced prisoner. The candidate who gets the majority of votes in his or her constituency becomes the Member of Parliament for that constituency. This process is known as the electoral system.

Members of Parliament are popularly referred to as an ‘MP’ or ‘Member’ by the public or other MP’s and their function is to represent the interests of their constituents. If a Member resigns, dies or becomes a member of the House of Lords during the 5-year term of a Parliament, a by-election must be held to elect a new member. No candidate is required to be a member of a political party to contest an election, but it is very rare for an independent candidate to become an MP. The chamber is where MPs debate and discuss all matters of state. The

arrangement of seating in the chamber is specific for the party political system of the United Kingdom. The chamber is rectangular. The Speaker of the House sits at one end. The Speaker is chosen by a vote of the entire House and is usually an MP from an opposition political party. The Speaker presides over the House

The chamber of the House of Commons


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of Commons and must know all the rules of the House. The Speaker controls the debate in the chamber and will warn or eject an MP whose behaviour becomes unruly. If an MP wishes to address the House they must first ask the speaker. The MP will then address the House after first addressing the Speaker. On either side of the Speaker’s chair are five rows of benches spanning the length of the chamber. MPs of the Government sit on the benches on the Speakers right and MPs who oppose the government sit on the left. The front benches on either side are reserved for Cabinet Ministers of the government, and the Opposition’s 'Shadow Cabinet'. Behind the front benches of the chamber sit MPs known as 'backbenchers'.

Members of Parliament have not always been paid for their duties although they have received some form of payment from the thirteenth century. They first received an official salary in 1911. Today MP’s are paid very well when compared to the average wage earner in the UK (see table). These high salaries are considered necessary to attract talented people into the parliament. The Prime Minister earns much less than many executives in large companies in the UK. Each day in the chamber begins with Question time,

lasting approximately an hour. MPs are able to ask ministers or other MPs questions on important matters of state. Questions must be provided 48 hours before Question Time, to allow ministers to prepare an answer. The government and Opposition MPs use Question time to criticize each other's policies and actions. On two afternoons each week the Prime Minister will answer questions on general policy matters. After Question time, the main debate of the day takes place. Most of this time is used to scrutinise government spending and debating new bills the government or others wishes to introduce. The system of debate is much the Lords. It originates in a 'motion' (a proposal) that is 'moved' (proposed) by a minister or other MP. The Speaker then proposes the question as a subject of debate. Questions (i) What is ‘electoral system’ of the United Kingdom? Explain in your own words. (ii) If you were living in Britain, how could you qualify to participate in a general election? (iii) How could you become a ‘member’ in the Commons? (iv) What is the difference between a general election and a by-election? (v) Who is the Speaker of the House and what are the Speaker’s duties? (vi) Who sits on the right side and the left side of the Speaker? (vii) Who is a backbencher? (viii) Do you think MPs are paid too much? Explain. (ix) What is the purpose of Question time and the main debate? State if the following statements are true or false. (i) A member of parliament can also be referred to as a 'MP' a 'member' or a 'parliamentarian'. True/False

The seating arrangement of the chamber of the House of Commons.

Average annual wage in the UK and MP’s salaries in 2008.

Average wage in the United Kingdom £29,000.

Prime Minister £194,250Cabinet Minister £141,866Speaker £141,866Leader of the Opposition £141,820Member of Parliament £63291


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(ii) If a road or a school in a British constituency has to be built, the constituent MP can request the government to help to build it. True/False (iii) There are 659 constituencies for Britain and 130 MPs for Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland. True/False (iv) The Chamber is another word for the House of Commons. True/False (v) The Prime Minister sits on the right of the speaker next to the opposition leader. True/False (vi) The speaker is not an MP. True/False 7.5. The House of Lords The House of Lords is referred to as "the Lords" and is also known as the upper house of the parliament. In ancient times, the Lords was made up of the monarch’s advisors. They were chosen from noble class and senior clergy of the Britain. In the present day, there are several types of members in the Lords. They are now chosen by the House of Commons. Life peers are appointed due to their political or public contribution to the nation. Hereditary peers are appointed by their birthright due to their aristocratic background. Members of the clergy are called the ‘Lords Spiritual’ and are senior bishops and archbishops selected from the Church of England.

In 1996 there were 1197 peers of whom 750 were hereditary peers. But following reforms to the House of Lords, it now consists almost entirely of peers appointed by the Commons. In 2009, the House of Lords had 742 members consisting of 624 life peers, 92 hereditary peers and 26 Lords spiritual. The main function of the House is to review laws passed in the lower house (the House of Commons) and to request amendments of Bills. The Lords can delay the passing of laws but cannot stop them. The only real remaining power of the Lords is to prevent the House of Commons

from continuing a term of Parliament for greater than five years. Peers do not receive a salary but are paid for their living expenses when attending the Lords. In 2008, the average expense for a peer was approximately £25,000. Future reforms to the ‘Lords’’ are to change its name to the ‘Senate’ and a third of members will be elected for a 12-15 year term at each general election. By these reforms, heredity peers and the clergy will be expelled from this institution. Questions (i) How many names describe someone who is appointed to the House of Lords? (ii) What are the differences and similarities between the House of Commons and the House of Lords? (iii) Is the House of Lords is a democratic institution? Explain. (iv) What is main the role of the House of Lords? State if the following statements are true or false. (i) A member of the Lords can be referred to as a 'Lord' a 'Peer' or a 'parliamentarian'. True/False (ii) As peers get paid much less than MP's, the House of Commons is a waste of money and should be abolished. True/False 7.6. The Government The Government is made up of a majority of members of the Commons. A few government members may be peers. These peers do not usually have a critical role in the government, as a government needs most of its members in the Commons where all important matters of state are debated with the opposition. The Government is almost always from one political party but may also be made up of a coalition of political parties or independent MP’s. A coalition government is formed by a combination of the MP's of two or more political parties in the Commons. This has occurred very rarely in the UK, for example, the National

Members in attendance in the House of Lords.


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Government of 1931-1935 which consisted of MP's from the Labour Conservative, and Liberal parties. After a general election, the Queen in her ceremonial role invites the leader of the party or the coalition that has a majority of MPs to form a government. The leader of this party becomes the Prime Minister and is also known as the PM. The PM is the head of the government and the political leader of the United Kingdom. The prime minister has therefore got to act with strong leadership on behalf of the British government, and the

British people. The Prime Minister forms a government by appointing Ministers. A British government can have approximately one hundred ministers and they govern ministries such as the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Sport and Tourism. About twenty senior ministers and the prime minister form a cabinet. The cabinet is the supreme body of the government and has the executive power to implement all its important policies. The cabinet meets privately each week to discuss matters of state and political strategies with the prime minister. While a cabinet minister is entitled to persuade the prime minister to agree to his or her proposal, the cabinet minister must ultimately obey the prime minister or resign from the cabinet if they cannot follow the prime minister’s directive. The most important cabinet minister is the Chancellor of Exchequer, who is responsible for all financial and economic matters of the United Kingdom. The rest of the cabinet ministers are called Cabinet Secretaries and are given important positions such as the Secretary of State for Health, Secretary of State for Justice and Secretary of State for Defence. The cabinet ministers sit with the prime minister on the front benches in the House of Commons. Most Government offices are located in Whitehall, London. The term ‘Whitehall’ is often used to refer to the government. The Prime Minister’s official residence is at 10 Downing Street in Whitehall. It is popularly referred to as 'Downing Street'. The prime minister formally receives all visiting heads of state at Downing Street. Questions (i) How does a political party become the government of the United Kingdom? (ii) What is a coalition government? (iii) What is the function of the cabinet? (iv) What is the role of the Prime Minister? (v) What are the words used to describe an MP in the cabinet. (vi) Explain your understanding of the term Whitehall? State if the following statements are true or false. (i) An independent MP does not belong to a political party and therefore cannot be part of a coalition government. True/False (ii) The head of the cabinet is the prime Minister. True/False (iii) The Prime Minister controls the House of Commons. True/False (iv) A minister or cabinet secretary is an MP. True/False (v) The government rules the Parliament by having a majority of MP's to vote for its actions. True/False

Aerial view of Whitehall

The British Prime Gordon Brown welcomes Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to Downing Street.


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7.7. The Opposition The MP’s in the House of Commons who are opposed to the rule of the Government are called the opposition. The opposition does not have the majority of MP’s in the House of Commons and therefore cannot stop the government from passing laws. However, the opposition has a very important role in the Westminster system. Their job is to keep the government accountable by scrutiny of the government activities. They do this by trying to expose bad policies, mistakes and wasteful expenditure of public money. They will also try to expose any corrupt practices by government members and can force a government member to resign or bring the government down. Like the Government, opposition MP’s are members of one or several political parties and independent MP’s in the Commons. The Leader of the opposition is the Prime Minister's main opponent. The opposition also has a shadow cabinet with each member assigned to watch over their opposite number in the Government. Questions (i) If there is no opposition in the House of Commons what would happen to the Westminster system in the United Kingdom. (ii) What is the name of the Secretary of Justice's opposite number? (iii) How is a computer system analogous to the Westminster a system of government in the UK? State if the following statements are true or false. (i) The term 'bring the Government down' means a government has to resign and a new government has to be formed. True/False 7.8. Passing laws A proposal for new law is called a Bill. After the Bill is passed by both Houses in the Parliament and given Royal Assent it becomes an Act. A recent example is the Terrorism Bill that was introduced in the Commons in 2006 after suicide bombings in July 2005 in the London underground railway system. This Bill was passed by Parliament and became the Terrorism Act 2006. This is an Act (or Law) that every citizen and foreigner in the United Kingdom has to obey. There are several types of Bills. A bill introduced by the Government is called a Public Bill. The most important public bills are Money or Supply Bills in which the government proposes government expenditure and taxation for the entire year. Financial bills raise revenue and authorise how money is spent. The annual Finance Bill is introduced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. This Bill contains all the changes that are to be made to taxation laws for the coming year. Other members of the Commons can introduce Private Members Bills. Most of these fail to become laws without the government's support. Local authorities or individuals can propose Private Bills through a MP. Private bills are proposals for Laws that are required by local authorities or to protect the rights of individuals. Bills are introduced into the Commons for debate and are usually amended before being passed by the Commons. It is then sent to the Lords for review. The Lords can ask for further amendments and delay a Bill but they must ultimately approve the Bill to become a Law. The monarch gives Royal Assent to the Bill and it then becomes an Act. The signing of the Bill by the Monarch is ceremonial and no monarch has refused to sign a Bill since 1707. Questions (i) Explain in your own words the difference between a Bill, an Act and a Law? (ii) Can a private member introduce a Bill for money supply? Explain (iii) What are the Bills that are likely to be passed in the Commons? (iv) How does the Queen's give Royal Assent to a Bill? (v) Explain with an example what you think is a constitutional crisis?

David Cameron, the Conservative opposition leader, speaking at Question time in the Commons.


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State if the following statements are true or false. (i) A constitutional crisis will occur if the Queen does not give Royal Assent to a Finance Bill. True/False (ii) A constitutional crisis will occur if the Lords do not approve a Finance Bill. True/False 7.9. The Party Political System

Most members of the Commons and Lords belong to a political party. Since the nineteenth century, the United Kingdom has had a two-party system. This means that MP's from one political party has been the government of the day while the opposition has been made up of MP's of another party. In the twentieth century, this two-party contest has been between the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. Differences between the Labour party and Conservatives have become less pronounced in recent times but their political origins are distinct. The Labour party was founded in the early 1900's by members of the trade unions and socialist parties of the nineteenth century. It

therefore had a strong commitment to the working class people of Britain. Labour are against the exercise of unfair privilege and many party members therefore are not in favour the British Monarchy and would like to see this institution abolished. However, more recently the Labour party has also tried to attract the middle class voters of Britain by policies that favour the wealthy. This was influenced by their long years as the opposition party in the Parliament between 1979 and 1997. The Labour party has ruled the United Kingdom for approximately 30 years between 1900 and 2009. The Conservative party has ruled the United Kingdom for the majority of this period. They are referred to as the Conservatives or Tories as they have descended from Tory Party founded in 1678. The Conservatives are the traditionalist political party of the United Kingdom and have received strong support

from the English aristocracy, business and wealthy classes in the UK. The Conservatives have usually opposed claims for wage increases by workers while favouring tax cuts for businesses and the wealthy. They have also generally opposed or neglected government spending in areas such as public health, housing and education which are necessary for the poor and working classes of the UK. They have therefore been the natural enemies of the trade union movement and workers of the UK. Other recent examples of their traditionalist policies are the opposition to the devolving of power to the Scottish Parliament, and the assemblies of Wales and Northern Ireland. More recently, they also opposed a strong association with the European Union and were against adopting the Euro as the currency of the UK. Since 1988 the British voter has had a three-party system by the founding of a political party known as Liberal Democrats. They are the third largest political party in the UK and also referred to as the Lib-Dems. Their political philosophy is in-between that of the Labour and the Conservatives. They are not affiliated with the trade union movement but favour government spending on health,

Labour Party campaign poster for the 1957 general election which Labour won after 8 years in opposition

Lord Frederick Woolton, Conservative Party Chief (1883–1964) posing in front of Conservative campaign posters in 1949.


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education and welfare for the poor. They also are pro-EU, and have a strong commitment to the environmental movement. Their policies strongly promote the use of renewable energy and deep cuts to greenhouse gas emissions. Unlike Labour and the Conservative parties the Lib-Dems were opposed to Britain's participation in the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Questions (i) Explain which party you would be likely to vote for in a British general election if you (a) were a factory worker, (b) wanted a clean environment and wanted to solve international problems by peace and not war, (c) were an aristocrat or wealthy business person. (ii) For approximately how many years has the Conservative party ruled Britain between 1900 and 2009? (iii) How is the National assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam different to the Westminster system of government in the United Kingdom? (iv) How is the National assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam similar to the Westminster system of government in the United Kingdom? State if the following statements are true or false. (i) The United Kingdom is ultimately governed by the influence of a political party. True/False 7.10. The Civil Service

The civil service is also known as the Home Civil Service. Civil servants are permanent government employees that support the work of governments in the UK, Wales and Scotland. The head of a civil service department is called a Permanent Secretary. Civil servants have to be politically neutral and cannot favour or act against a government because of party politics. They serve as advisors and administrators of government departments and are responsible to a Minister or a Cabinet Secretary. The Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet is the highest ranking civil servant. He deals directly with the cabinet and attends cabinet meetings to give advice and take instructions from the Cabinet for the operation of all civil service departments. A Permanent Secretary has to show loyalty to his or her Minister. Although the Permanent Secretary can argue the

merits of government policy he or she has to ultimately follow the direction of the Minister. In 2007, there were approximately 532,000 civil servants in the Home Civil Service. Questions (i) Name three civil service departments of the UK government. (ii) What would happen if a permanent secretary was a member of an opposition political party? (iii) What are the similarities between a Cabinet Secretary and a Permanent secretary? State if the following statements are true or false. (i) Civil servants are elected every five years in a general election. True/False (ii) The permanent Secretary to the Cabinet is a member of the government. True/False

Liberal Democrats campaign poster against the invasion and war in Iraq.

The Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet Lord Robin Butler (far right) in discussion with ex Prime Minister Tony Blair (next from right) at a Cabinet meeting.


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Exercise. Summarise information in this chapter by filling in the blanks of the paragraph below using the following words. Bills British Parliament Cabinet Cabinet secretaries civil servants Civil Service Commons Commons Conservative Constitutional monarchy Constituencies England general election Government Government Government head Hereditary House of Commons House of Commons House of Lords House of Lords Houses of Parliament Labour Laws Liberal Democrats Life Lords member members Money Monarch MPs Parliament Prime Minister Prime Minister opposition people Queen Spiritual Supply taxation voters Westminster system The political system of Britain is called the ______________________ ____________ which is governed by

a ____________________________ ________________. This means that the British _____________ is the

head of the ______________ ____________________. However, the United Kingdom is ruled by the

___________________ in the Parliament who are elected by British ____________. The

____________________ is made-up of the __________ ______ ______________ and the __________

____ __________. The House of Commons is often referred to as the ______________ while the House of

Lords is referred to as the __________. Members of the __________ ____ ______________ are called

______. They are elected by the people of the United Kingdom. The UK is divided into

___________________________ and the people in each one elects a ____________ to represent them in the

House of _____________. Members of the House of Lords are elected by the __________

________________ and the __________ of _______________. The __________ ____ __________ consists

of ___________ peers, ________ peers, and the Lords ________________. Both ____________ ____

___________________ create and pass _________ called __________ which are important for governing

the country and for collecting revenue for government expenditure by ________________. Some of the

most important bills are __________ and ____________ bills. Usually, a political party that has the most

number of elected ______________ in the Commons will become the ___________________ of the United

Kingdom after a ______________ ________________. The three main political parties in Britain are the

____________ Party, the _______________________ Party and the ______________

___________________. Approximately 20 senior ministers of a British government belong to the

______________, where all important decisions of ____________________ are discussed and implemented

with the consent of the __________ ________________ who is the ________ of the Cabinet. Its members

are called ______________ _____________________ and are assisted by senior __________

________________. The _____ ______ administers the policies of Government Ministers. The

government’s activities are scrutinised by an ____________________ who make sure that the government is

accountable to the _____________ of United Kingdom.

8. Cultural Diversity

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8.1. Introduction The term cultural diversity is used to describe the variety of languages, dress, religion and customs of people from different cultures living together in a country. The acceptance of this cultural diversity in a country is sometimes referred to as multiculturalism. Such diversity can enrich a country's cultural life. For example, citizens of the United Kingdom can celebrate festivals such as St Patricks Day, Chinese New Year and Deepavali (also known as Diwali) because of the influence of Irish, Chinese and Indian immigrant communities living in Britain. The eating habits of the British have also been influenced by other cultures for example some of the most popular British meals today are pizza and an Indian curry called Chicken tikka masala. The former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said the latter meal was "Britain's true national dish" (see section on British Foods). Immigrant communities also add to the artistic life of a country by their traditional music, dance and literature. George Bernard Shaw is a world famous playwright and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature in 1925. He was born in Dublin in 1856 and immigrated to London to join his mother in 1877. Shaw is a famous international figure but also participated in ordinary British life. He was a local councillor in a borough of London for five years. The first well-known Caribbean music in Britain was the calypso. During the 1950's, a former Air Force officer from Guyana would sing a calypso about the day's news headlines on a popular BBC television program. The Carnaval Del Pueblo is Europe's largest celebration of Latin American culture. It is held in London each year with spectacular procession of exotic floats, costumes, musicians and dancers weaving their way through the streets of London. Immigration from different parts of the world has fostered these contributions to the cultural activities and their enjoyment in Britain.

Questions (i) Explain in your words the term 'multiculturalism'. (ii) Explain in your own words the meaning of 'Britain's true national dish'. (iii) Give examples of cultural traditions and art forms brought to Britain by migrant communities. (iv) How do immigrants contribute to the society of their new country? (v) Is cultural diversity a positive or negative for a country's development?

St. Patricks Day in Trafalgar Square.

Deepavali performance in Harrow.

Chinese New Year lanterns in Oxford Circus.

Vietnamese restaurant in Hackney, London.

Flamenco dancers in London's Carnaval Del Pueblo in 2008.


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State if the following statements are true or false. (i) Pizza is a traditional food of Greece. True/False (ii) The Indian festival of Diwali or Deepavali means the Festival of Light. True/False (iii) St Patrick's Day is a celebration of a famous patron saint of Ireland. True/False (iv) Guyana is an island in Africa True/False (v) Carnaval del Pueblo means Carnival Of the Town in Spanish. True/False 8.2. Immigration

Large numbers of people immigrated to Britain throughout the twentieth and twenty first century. These immigrants came to Britain for many reasons. The vast number of migrants came because of the lack of jobs or a stable financial future in their home country. These were economic migrants. The earliest economic migrants were from Ireland who left their country during the Irish Potato Famine of 1845-1850. Immigration from Ireland continued into the twentieth century. These Irish immigrants became a large part of Britain's working class as builders, dock workers and sailors. They also formed a

large part of the British Army and Navy. The next group of economic migrants came to Britain after the end of Second World War. Britain faced a labour shortage at this time and immigration from British colonies was encouraged by the UK Government to fill this labour gap. The immigrants who responded to this labour requirement were mainly from India, Pakistan and the Caribbean (also known as the West Indies). Immigration from these Commonwealth countries (former British colonies) increased from 3000 per year in 1951 to approximately 134,000 in 1961. Since 2004, the United Kingdom has also accepted economic migrants under the European Union's Worker Registration Scheme. Approximately half a million people have immigrated to Britain under this scheme from new EU countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Polish migrants are the largest group. Illegal immigration is another source of economic migrants from diverse cultural backgrounds entering the United Kingdom's. It was estimated that half a million people were living in Britain without a visa or work permit during 2006. The UK also has a responsibility under international law to accept refugees fleeing persecution in their home country. Therefore, the United Kingdom has accepted refugees from many countries such as Jews fleeing persecution from Nazi Germany who found refuge in Britain. After the Second World War in1945, there were many refugees from war-torn Europe who were seeking to live in peace and security in the United Kingdom. They came from Germany, Italy, Poland and Ukraine. Many Hungarians sought refuge in the UK following the Hungarian revolution in 1956. In 1972, the government of Uganda expelled Ugandans of Indian decent. Approximately 30,000 of these Indian Asians from Uganda found refuge in the United Kingdom. More recently, thousands of refugees from conflicts in Africa, South America and Asia have been accepted into the UK as refugees. With people from almost every part of the world, Britain can be described as a melting pot of cultures. Exercise. The short essay below (175 words), outlines the types of immigration to the United Kingdom, where the immigrants came from and the reasons for their entry. Fill in the blanks with the words below to complete the essay.

Early Immigrants from Caribbean countries arriving in England by ship.

Irish immigrants arriving in Britain in the early twentieth century.


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Asia absorbed Caribbean Central compassionate culturally diverse economic economic economic eighteenth Eastern European Union famine German Germany Hungary Jews illegally illegal immigrants Immigration immigrants India Ireland Italy labour manual Pakistan Poland political persecution Refugees South America twenty first Uganda Ukraine unfortunate people war refugees

Introduction: There have been three main types of __________________ to Britain between the

___________________ and ___________ __________ century, who have come for different reasons.

Body: The first were immigrants were _______________ migrants from ____________ due to a

_____________ in the eighteenth century. They were followed by economic migrants from __________,

________________ and the __________________ in the mid nineteenth century who came to fill a

____________ shortage in British factories and to do other ____________ jobs. More recently, economic

migrants have arrived from countries of the ______________ __________, chiefly from ______________

and ______________ Europe. Many of them are professionals such as computer specialists and engineers.

________________ are another type of immigrant. Some were fleeing _____________________ from their

country such as ____________ ________ from Nazi Germany. After the Second World War, many

________ ________________ from countries such as _______________, _________, ____________ and

the ______________ came to Britain. More recently, __________________ and ________________

refugees have come to Britain from ______________, ____________, __________ _____________ and

________.

There are also people living in Britain without a work visa and they are called ______________

__________. This group are either economic immigrants or refugees who have come from countries around

the world.

Conclusion: ______________________ to Britain since the eighteenth century shows that Britain has

________________ people from all parts of the world making it a very ____________________

_______________ society. It also shows Britain has accepted these migrants for ________________

reasons, but also on __________________________ grounds. The wealth of Britain has also attracted many

______________________ ____________ who live in Britain __________________.

Question. Name some of countries that have contributed to the cultural diversity of the United Kingdom. State if the following statements are true or false. (i) The Irish Potato Famine was time when many Irish starved because they did not have any food. . True/False (ii) An economic migrant is a term used to describe someone who has studied economics. True/False (iii) Jews are the largest group of economic migrants to enter Britain. True/False (iv) A refugee is a person who flees to another country because they fear they will be persecuted or discriminated in their own country. True/False (v) The term 'A melting pot of cultures' means that all immigrants eat the same food in their new country. True/False 8.3. Ethnic Communities Migrants groups who came to Britain are also referred to as ethnic communities. The word ethnic is used to acknowledge that these migrant communities are a distinct racial or cultural group. They are identified


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by the racial or cultural practices of their former home country. The demography of United Kingdom by its population, races and religions show that these ethnic communities are a minority. Therefore, they are also referred to as ethnic minorities. The most recent information on ethnic minorities was published in the 2001 census of the United Kingdom. This census reveals that only approximately 3.8% of all ethnic groups live in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales (see the Table A) showing that the vast majority of these ethnic communities live in England. The table also shows that most of these migrants are living in London while the Midlands, the North and the South are other areas of major settlement. The population of England displayed in the Table B shows that the biggest ethnic groups are from Europe, South Africa and Zimbabwe. They are referred to as 'Other White 'in the table. The communities from South Asia (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) are the next largest ethnic group followed by groups from the Caribbean and Africa, Ireland and the Chinese and 'Other Asians'. The census also shows that people of mixed descent are now a large proportion of non-white Britons.

The influx of these ethnic groups has increased its religious diversity in Britain (see Table C). While Christianity is the oldest religion, many other religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Sikh and Islam are now practiced in the country. It shows that Christianity is the dominant religion all ethnic groups excepting the Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities. Hinduism and Sikhism is largely the religion of Indian community while Islam is the dominant following of the Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities. Buddhism had the

largest following in the Chinese and 'Other ethnic' communities. The Chinese also showed the highest percentage of non-belief of any religious faith followed by the mixed race, white and Caribbean communities. Table C. The religions of racial groups in Britain by percentage (%) in 2001.

Christian Buddhist Hindu Jewish Muslim Sikh Other religion

No religion

White 75.5% 0.1% 0.0% 0.5% 0.3% 0.0% 0.2% 23.3% Mixed 52.3% 0.7% 0.9% 0.5% 9.7% 0.4% 0.6% 34.9% Indian 5.0% 0.2% 44.8% 0.1% 12.6% 29.2% 1.7% 6.4% Pakistani 1.1% 0.0% 0.1% 0.0% 91.9% 0.1% 0.0% 6.7% Bangladeshi 0.5% 0.1% 0.6% 0.0% 92.4% 0.0% 0.0% 6.3% Chinese 21.1% 15.1% 0.1% 0.1% 0.3% 0.0% 0.5% 62.8% Other Asian 13.5% 4.8% 26.3% 0.3% 37.5% 6.2% 1.0% 10.5% Black Caribbean 73.7% 0.2% 0.3% 0.1% 0.8% 0.0% 0.6% 24.3% Black African 68.8% 0.1% 0.2% 0.1% 20.0% 0.1% 0.2% 10.5% Other Black 66.5% 0.2% 0.4% 0.1% 6.0% 0.1% 0.7% 26.1% Other Ethnic Group 32.8% 15.3% 1.3% 1.1% 26.0% 1.0% 0.9% 21.6%

All groups (%) 71.8% 0.3% 1.0% 0.5% 2.8% 0.6% 0.3% 22.8%

Table B. Population of England in 2001. British 42,747,136 Irish 624,115 Other White 1,308,110

Mixed 643,373 White and Black Caribbean White and Black African White and Asian Other Mixed

Indian 1,028,546 Pakistani 706,539 Bangladeshi 275,394 Chinese 220,681 Other Asian 237,810

Black Caribbean 561,246 Black African 475,938 Other Black 95,324

Other ethnic group 214,619 Table A. Location of non-white people by percentage (%) living in the UK in 2001. Northern Ireland 0.3 Scotland 2.2 Wales 1.3 England 96.2

East 5.7 South East & West 10.9 North East & West 9.4 Yorkshire and the Humber 7.0 Midlands 18.7 London 44.6


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Questions (i) What is a census? Explain it in your own words. (ii) Calculate the percentage of each group of Britons by the population in England. (iii) Which ethnic groups are the highest, the median and the lowest percentage of the population in England? (iv) Which groups are ethnic minorities? (v) Who are the 'other Asian' people? (vi) Which countries do the 'other ethnic group' come from? (vii) Find out from the internet and library the religious beliefs of Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Sikh and Islam. (viii) What are the other religions of people living in Britain? (ix) What is the word for a person who does not have a religion? (x) Which are the most and least dominant groups in England by population and religion? State if the following statements are true or false. (i) The ethnic communities of Britain are mainly the ethnic minorities of England. True/False (ii) The biggest ethnic group is the 'other White' group followed by Indian, South Asian, Irish, Black Caribbean. True/False (iii) Jews are the largest group of economic migrants to enter Britain. True/False (iv) A refugee is a person who flees to another country because they fear they will be persecuted or discriminated in their own country. True/False (v) A migrant community is a group who goes to live in another country and an ethnic community is a group of people with different customs living in a country. True/False (vi) The term 'migrant community' has the same meaning as the term 'ethnic community'. True/False (vii) Ethnic groups living in England can be called Britons. True/False 8.4. The Vietnamese in Britain The Vietnamese living in Britain are referred to as British Vietnamese or Vietnamese Britons and are also popularly known as the Việt Kiều. The majority who first came to the United Kingdom were refugees between the years of 1975 and1981. The second largest group of Vietnamese entered the United Kingdom during the 1980s. They were family members of the former refugees and entered Britain under the family reunion program of the UK government. More recently, many Vietnamese have settled in Britain after completing their studies in the UK. More than sixty five percent of all Việt Kiều are from North Vietnam. The 2001 Census showed there were 23,347 people born in Vietnam who were living in the United Kingdom mainly in England. The census also found that at least 55,000 British Vietnamese are living in England and Wales and approximately 5000 are students. As with most ethnic groups in the UK, the largest concentrations of British Vietnamese are living in larger cities. There were approximately 33,000 Vietnamese Britons in London. The majority of these Vietnamese Londoners were located in Hackney, Lewisham and Southwark. Smaller Vietnamese communities of between 2500 and 4000 were living in Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester.

Group Population % of Total Population

British 42,747,136 Irish 624,115 Other White 1,308,110 Mixed 643,373 Indian 1,028,546 Pakistani 706,539 Bangladeshi 275,394 Chinese 220,681 Other Asian 237,810 Black Caribbean 561,246 Black African 475,938 Other Black 95,324 Other ethnic group 214,619

Map of Greater London showing the boroughs of Hackney, Lewisham and Southwark. The River Thames is shown running through the middle of this area.


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In early days after their arrival, Vietnamese refugees faced hardships in employment and education due to their lack of English skills and their low level of education. Most of their businesses consisted of restaurants, grocery stores, travel agencies and entertainment venues for the Việt Kiều community. More recently, Vietnamese businesses are prospering by servicing the British public. The fastest growing Vietnamese businesses in London in recent times are nail salons while Vietnamese restaurants continue to grow in popularity. There are also indications that the second generation of British Vietnamese are excelling in education. In 2001, Vietnamese, Indian and Chinese students in the borough of Lambeth achieved higher school results than all other ethnic groups in the borough. Refugees have also made an important contribution to British public life such as Mr Vu Khanh Thanh, a former high school teacher from Bien Hoa province. In 1982, Mr Vu Khanh Thanh helped establish a community organisation in Hackney to help members of Vietnamese community who suffered hardship. This work led to the formation of the An Viet Housing Association and An Viet Foundation. These organisations helped the Vietnamese community in gaining education and employment in London. It has also advanced the knowledge and awareness of Vietnamese history, culture and traditions to the British public. Mr Vu Khanh Thanh also became active in British public life as a councillor for the borough of Hackney between 2002 and 2006. In 2006 he was awarded an MBE from the Queen for his contribution to British society. Questions (i) What are main periods of immigration of Vietnamese to the United Kingdom? (ii) What is the percentage of Vietnamese Britons of the total population of Britain? (iii) What percentage of the English population does the Vietnamese community represent in 2001? (iv) Why there are approximately 55,000 British Vietnamese in the United Kingdom although the 2001 census shows that 23,347 people born in Vietnam were living in the UK. (v) Has the Vietnamese community developed and advanced since first arriving in Britain? State if the following statements are true or false. (i) British Việt Kiều would be in the category of 'other Asian' of the 2001 census. True/False (ii) The majority of Việt Kiều live in South and small number live in the North. True/False (iii) A nail salon is a place where you can cut your hair. True/False (iv) The term 'second generation of Vietnamese' refers to the Vietnamese who came to Britain under the family reunion program. True/False (v) A borough is a small part of an English county such as a town. True/False (vi) An MBE is an abbreviation for Member of the British Ethnic community. True/False (vii) A councillor is member of a town council or city council. True/False 8.5. Hardships Immigrants to Britain also face other hardships in their new country. The story of Hai Tran, a Vietnamese who came to Britain when he was aged 16 is typical of what many immigrants faced in Britain. The Story of Hai Tran In England my first feeling was homesickness. You come into a new culture and you are lost. It took me three years before I started eating chips and five years before I tasted a bit of cheese. I used to go to school and just drink water and then go home and eat food that was more normal for me. I found it very hard to understand the English people because the culture is so different. Even now, I have to be quite careful when asking questions so that I do not offend people. In my country it is quite normal to ask people 'How old are you? How much money do you make? But people here are sensitive to those questions. I encounter racism a lot, but sometimes you have to take people with a pinch of salt and laugh about it. If you take it too much to heart, it is difficult to live with. I live in British culture, but I cannot tell people I am British because

Mr Vu Khanh Thanh receiving his MBE from Prince Charles in 2006.


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they will not accept me. For instance, when England played football I put up the English flag in my take-away shop. Some kids came in and took it down. I asked them 'Why?' and they said 'Because you are not British'. I said, 'I have paid my taxes, I can be proud to fly the England flag.' So I tell them: 'You cannot come in here then, because you are not Chinese!' I don't know what I am in the end. But in one way or another, I am happy with who I am. My friends and neighbours accept me as British. I am foreign British, put it that way. Questions (i) Why did it take Hai Tran 3 years to eat fish and chips and 5 years to taste cheese? (ii) Why did Hai Tran find it hard to understand British people? (iii) What is racism? (iv) What is the meaning of “you have to take it with a pinch of salt”? (v) Why does Hai Tran think he does not belong to Britain? (vi) What does Hai Tran mean “you come into a new culture and you are lost”? (vii) Is he optimistic about his life in Britain? (viii) What do you think are the hardships that the Vietnamese would have faced living in Britain? 8.6 The Gupta Family who came to live in England in 1965. Mrs Gupta, the mother, talks about her first impressions and life in Britain. Listen to the conversation. Interviewer: What image of Britain did you have in your mind before you left India? Mother: Well, I thought it have ... it will be very big houses, nice bungalow and all this stuff, but when I came to England, when I get off from the airport, I was amazed by cars, it was lots of, lots of cars, but when I came to my house it wasn't like I was expecting, it's like a street, all row for houses, which I wasn't expecting, I was expecting big houses, and all these things, but it was totally different, it was bit disappointed, and one thing I was amazed when I got off from the plane, it was ten o'clock at night and it was still quite light, day time, and I was thinking it should be night time here, why it's so light up here? And well, I didn't know days are that longer here, and that was the new thing for me when I came over here. Interviewer: Do you enjoy living in Britain? Mother: Yes I do, yes, yes. But still I can't forget the back, yes. Interviewer: When you say you can't, you can't forget what? Mother: I'm enjoying at the moment, yes, it is nice to live here with the family and because most of our family is here, from my mum's side as well, and Paul's side as well. But sometimes when you remember back in India you want to go back, yes. Interviewer: What do you miss? Mother: It's mostly the weather. Because weather is, up there weather is nice, it's a proper season, you know. We do have rainy season as well, winter, a proper winter as well, and summer as well, so it's a bit different than here, and the weather was fantastic up there. Interviewer: What else do you miss apart from the weather? Mother: Friends! And in the evening atmosphere. Interviewer: Tell me about that a bit.

Hai Tran in his Chinese take‐away shop in Romford, London.

Row houses (terraced houses) in London


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Mother: Well, up here it's ... all you do, it's mostly indoors. But over there it's open air, most of the times you can go for a walk in the evening, beautiful gardens and all this stuff. And up here even it's nice gardens and things, but weather spoils it. Interviewer: I know you're involved in an English teaching project in Oxford and I'd like you to tell me something about that now. What sort of people do you teach? Mother:... Well I mostly teach people whose language is, English is a second language. Well, mostly people are from Pakistan, Bangladesh and India, and some of them have got Chinese students as well, and Korean, and sometimes ... one girl we got from Russia as well. So I teach most of them, yeah, if their English, if they need in English, so I teach them as well. Questions (i) What is Mrs Gupta’s nationality, what is her country of origin and what is her occupation? (ii) What are the things that surprised her when she first came to England and why? (iii) What does Mrs Gupta miss from her home country? What does she mean by ‘the evening atmosphere’? (iv) If you were Mrs Gupta, who would you think are the main non-English speaking groups living in Britain? 8.7. Mr Gupta, the father, talks about his work and life in Britain. Listen to the conversation. Interviewer: What work did you go into after you finished studying? Father: I work for Rover Group now and have been working there for twenty-four years, so it's OK. [Rover Group, a car manufacturer in the UK] Interviewer: What do you do at Rover? Father: I work for Quality Department, I'm a quality inspector there ... you know I did find it very difficult in the beginning. When become a quality inspector people were not very happy at all, they treated me really bad in those days I suppose because they didn't like to work under me at all sort of you know, they were making some silly remarks and it was difficult in the beginning but gradually it come all right sort of, yes, that's OK. Interviewer: So you found it difficult because you were senior to ... Father: Exactly. Interviewer:... to white English people, who felt ... Father: That's right, yes, because there's some people see has been working there for a long time, say, twenty years, or thirty years, and if you will tell them something and they wouldn't like it at all. And they were making some silly remarks that – oh what do you know about the cars, in India they were building bullock carts, this and that, so it was really very, very bad anyway – behaviour anyway – and ... but I tolerate all right ... Yes. Interviewer: Were there other Indians at work? Father: Not many people were working in those days in the Rover Group, no, no, only few. I

Interviewer: Has that changed now? Father: Oh yes, yes, yes, it is changed quite a lot now anyway. From time to times the things have improved a lot now, and the behaviours among the foreigners and all that is marvellous now, no problem at all. Excellent. Yes. Interviewer: Now I know that when you came home from work you used to organise social evenings. Can you tell me something about that? Father: Because in the beginning there were not many Indian peoples, and they didn't have their family here. And they were missing their family, and a lot of people come from the village, and some people were illiterate, and they had a language problem, and they didn't know much about how to

fill their Inland Revenue [Government tax office] form, DHSS [Department of Health and Social Security], or whenever they go to doctors, what to say and all that, and they were missing their cultures, they were

The Gupta family in their home in London.

7


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missing their socials, life, and what we tried to arrange that ... in '65 we establish here the Indian Associations, and with that we form societies, and then we used to celebrate our Indian festival, festival, and we used to celebrate our Independence Day, and then we start running the cinema as well, Asian cinema, so people can come and watch it, and it was good for their social and cultural life and entertainment, and it was good. And so we used to go to the people's different houses and if they got any problem, or some time if they want to write a letter to ... to back their own families, and I used to help them out, and you know if they got any problems try to sort out; and meet them, to communicate anyway. It was marvellous, yes. Spent a lot of time! — with them ... Good. So they don't feel any neglect or anything like that at all, they don't have much problem, and it was good, yes. Questions (i) Who were the ‘people’ who were not happy with Mr Gupta becoming a Quality Inspector at Rover and why were they not happy? (ii) Mr Gupta says some people at Rover were making “silly remarks” such as ‘oh what do you know about cars, in India they were building bullock carts’. Explain the meaning of this silly remark. (iii) Why was the use of such “silly remarks” “bad behaviour” according to Mr Gupta? (iv) Has his relationship with white English people changed after twenty four years? Is he happy living in England? (v) How did Mr Gupta help other Indian migrants? Does he remind you of somebody else who helped his community? 8.8 The Gupta's son talks about his life and experience in Britain. Listen to the conversation. Interviewer: Do you feel Indian or British? Son: I think I feel a bit ... like I can't say like one or the other, 'cause I've been brought up here in England and I've got most of the British culture and everything, but I still have the Indian background in me, so I don't really think I can say I'm British or Indian. Interviewer: Do you feel that there are parts of you which are Indian and parts of you which are British? S Yeah, yeah, definitely. Interviewer: Can you tell me a bit more about what those parts are? Son: Well, things like my friends get up to and stuff like they, like say they go out on the weekends and stuff, like every weekend, I don't think it's in the Indian culture, like to go out and leave like your family on the weekends and stuff, so I think the Indian culture is more like family like orientated rather than like spending, going out with your friends more. Interviewer: So what do your friends go and do? What is it that they're going out and doing which you ... which is typically British? . Son: Going out to the pubs, getting drunk, and ... Interviewer: This is something that a young person in India just wouldn't do, is that right? Son: I don't think so, no. Interviewer: What about racism? Have you ever had any problems with that? Son: There are some things that you can like, point to racisms, but not ... not in a serious manner. Like, I worked for Sainsbury's, and what they ... my position was like, on checkouts, and what they used to do was take me off checkouts and take me outside and do ... collect all the trolleys from the car parks. And now I used to do that every week, and ... there were a lot of other boys who could have gone out and done the same thing, but they seem to have always picked on me, which you can't really say is racism or it's not, but it's one of those things that you can point to racism, but then again it might not have been. Interviewer: That's a very mild form of racism, isn't it? I mean I was thinking of the ... there have been some much more vicious things that have gone on. Have you ever suffered being called unpleasant names, or anything like that? Son: Well you do get the occasional like some, someone like driving past will shout out and say something

Indian immigrants arriving in London.


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sometimes, but that used to happen, but I haven't like, nothing like that has happened to me within like, oh, about four or five years, so no, no. Questions (i) Where was the Gupta’s son born? (ii) What are the things he does that give a sense of British identity? (iii) What are the things he does that give him an Indian sense of identity? (iv) What is racial discrimination? (v) Has the son suffered racial discrimination? Describe what was done to him and how you think the son thinks this was racial discrimination? (vi) What do you think are the “words” that were shouted at the son from cars driving past. 8.9. Discrimination Cultural differences within a country can cause fear, mistrust and ignorance of one group or community by another. This can lead to the discrimination of a community, especially ethnic minorities by the dominant social group of a country. For example, in 1971, Uganda's minority Asian community was ordered to leave the country by the Uganda's President due to suspicion that they were sabotaging the Ugandan economy and that the majority African Ugandans would suffer the consequences. In Britain, immigration was initially encouraged by the British Government to fill labour shortages after

the Second World War (see section 2). The Government promoted immigration by enacting the British Nationality Act 1948 which allowed people living in Commonwealth countries to immigrate to the UK without a visa. Immigrants from Commonwealth countries in the Caribbean and from South Asia steadily rose from 3,000 per year in 1951 to 136,400 in 1961. The large number of migrants arriving in Britain caused alarm amongst the British people and its government. The popular public feeling was that white Britons would be under threat from the immigrants for their jobs and their way of life. This unease in Britain led to the enactment of the Commonwealth Immigrants Act in 1962. The Act was designed to reduce the numbers of immigrants from the Caribbean and South Asia by

only allowing entry to those who qualified for a work permit. Further restrictions to immigration were made with the Commonwealth Immigration Act in 1968. This act restricted immigration to only those who had a parent or grandparent who was born in the UK. During this time a Conservative MP, Enoch Powell, made an inflammatory speech against immigration called 'the Rivers of Blood' speech. It warned that there would social conflict between whites and black Britons stating that 'in 10 or 15 years the black man will hold the whip hand over the white' in Britain. Powell was stating, in an indirect way, that in time, Briton's black and coloured immigrants would rule UK's white population unless they were repatriated to their home country and all further immigration to Britain was ended. More restrictions to immigration by Acts of Parliament have continued up to the present day. More recently, other politicians, such as those from the British National Party, have also denounced immigration and some British ethnic communities. Their purpose has been to exploit popular prejudices of the British public against some ethnic minorities and to stop their immigration to Britain.

Enoch Powell addressing a meeting in 1968 about his controversial 'Rivers of Blood' speech.

British National Party campaigning against immigration in 2009.


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State if the following statements are true or false. (i) The term 'sabotaging the Ugandan economy' means damaging or destroying the economy of the country. True/False (ii) The term 'way of life' refers to the traditional way people live in a certain place or country. True/False (iii) A work permit would not allow you to immigrate to Britain if were from South Asia or the Caribbean after 1962. True/False (iv)You could immigrate to the UK if your brother or sister was born there after 1968. True/False (v) The term 'to exploit popular prejudices' is make a group fearful and/or angry of another group by suggesting that the second group will threaten the future of the employment, wealth customs or religion of the first group. True/False (vi) The term 'racial vilification' means insulting a person or a group because of their colour, religion, customs or language. True/False Between 1965 and to the present day, British governments have introduced several Race Relations Acts to prevent racial vilification of ethnic communities in the UK. Despite this, non-white Britons have faced racial prejudice and discrimination in many areas such as in the justice system, in education, employment and in social settings. The following are edited media excerpts that example some instances of discrimination to ethnic communities in the United Kingdom. The Observer, December 2002. Black people are six times more likely to be sent to prison than whites, a new survey reveals. It throws fresh light on the huge disparities in justice experienced by minority ethnic groups in Britain. Professor Jeremy Coid of the Royal London School of Medicine, who led the study, said the findings suggested black Britons are more likely to receive imprisonment than white Britons. Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said the research showed a need to address racism throughout the justice system. Almost a quarter of Britain's jail population of 72,416 people come from an ethnic minority background. Black prisoners account for 15 per cent of all prisoners. Black people are five times more likely than white people to be stopped and searched by police and, once arrested, are more likely to be remanded in custody than other offenders charged with similar offences. BBC News January 1998. Two Muslim schools are Britain's first Islamic educational institutions to receive funding by the British Government. They are the Islamia Primary School in Brent, North London, and the Al Furqan Primary School in Sparkhill, Birmingham. The Islamia school, opened in 1983 and first applied for government funding in 1986 but it was rejected despite an appeal which was upheld in Britain's High Court in 1990. The granting of funding to the two Muslim schools came after parents at the Islamia school threatened last year to sue the Government over the long delay to consider its application for state funding. State funding is already given to Anglican, Roman Catholic and a small number of Jewish schools. Ibrahim Hewitt, development officer with the Association of Muslim Schools accused the previous government of a "discriminatory" attitude towards Muslim schools and said: "We always thought their reasons for refusal were not purely on educational grounds." BBC News January 1998 Many people from racial minorities in Northern Ireland schools face harassment and abuse, according to a report by the University of Ulster who interviewed more than 100 Chinese, Asian and Africans in the province. Interviews with parents and children of racial minorities showed that thirteen percent of the children had experienced physical harassment such as being jostled, spat at or punched in school. Of those interviewed, sixty six percent said they experienced racist vilification on the way to and from school, in playgrounds or on the sports field. Chinese people working in food outlets said they routinely faced verbal and sometimes physical abuse. However, they said they felt forced to stay in catering because of their lack of qualifications and poor English language skills. BBC News November 1998. A London council has been found guilty of racial discrimination by the Commission for Racial Equality, after a two-year investigation into its employment and personnel policies. It says that an independent report into Hackney last year found there had been 99 applications to the Employment Tribunal with complaints of racial discrimination against Hackney.


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BBC News July 2004. CV's from six fictitious candidates who were given traditionally white, black African or Muslim names were sent to fifty firms by Radio Five Live (a BBC radio program). The employers were selected at random from newspaper advertisements and recruitment websites. Many of the firms were well known and the jobs covered a range of fields. All the applicants were given the same standard of qualifications and experience. The candidates with the white names were far more likely to be given an interview than similarly qualified black or Asian "names". Almost twenty five percent of applications by the two candidates given traditionally "white" names of Jenny Hughes and John Andrews, resulted in offers of an interview. But only nine percent of the "Muslim" applications, by the fictitious names of Fatima Khan and Nasser Hanif, resulted in interview offers. Thirteen percent of fictitious black candidates received an offer for an interview. BBC News September 2003. An Italian factory worker who suffered years of racial abuse was awarded £31,000 compensation after winning a complaint of discrimination and unfair dismissal. Salvatore Barresi, 38, from Leeds, said he was frequently sworn at and had teabags and pieces of wood thrown at him by fellow workers. Mr Barresi said he was subjected to racial abuse within a few months of starting work and it was sustained over several years. He resigned last year, suffering from depression, and decided to take his complaint to an employment tribunal in Leeds, where he successfully argued that he had suffered racial discrimination and unfair dismissal. In the above situations the victims of discrimination received justice in many but not all instances. However, in all instances, acts of racial discrimination were investigated, condemned or reformed by anti-discriminatory institutions of the United Kingdom. This may hold hope for racial equality and harmony for Britain in the future. Many positive aspects to the cultural diversity in Britain, (as outlined in preceding sections 8.1-8.4) may outweigh these negative aspects. For example, Britain has been a home for refugees throughout the twentieth and twenty first centuries. It has provided them with an opportunity to begin a new life free of persecution. There has also been a steady acceptance of the culture of the ethnic communities by white British. Their racial integration is evident by the growing number of mixed race Britons and public celebrations of ethnic festivals. Furthermore, the divisions and conflict that politicians and political parties have sought to exploit have been unsuccessful thus far in British life. They are therefore unlikely to succeed in the future. In summary, Britain is home to almost every culture in the world and this has enriched the country's cultural, political and spiritual life. It is likely this enrichment will grow greater in time. Questions (i) Why did the United Kingdom first allow immigrants to come freely into Britain and then tried to reduce immigration? (ii) In which way could immigrants to Britain destroy the British way of life? (iii) Are there similarities between the fear and alarm of the British people and politicians to immigrants and the fear and suspicion of Ugandan Asians by Idi Amin? (iv) Has Enoch Powell's predictions in 1968 become a reality in the present day? (v) Will the British National Party succeed in their aim of stopping immigration? (vi) Explain in your own words the evidence of discrimination of ethnic minorities in Britain. (vii) Do you think there are any positive aspects to these examples of discrimination? (viii) What do you think the future holds for racial equality and harmony in the United Kingdom?

Children's performance promoting cultural harmony at the West Yorkshire Playhouse.

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9.1. Introduction Education has a long history in the United Kingdom. In early times, Christian churches influenced the teaching and development of education. Since the nineteenth century, successive governments of the UK have had increasing control and influence on education, particularly in school education. This chapter mainly focuses on the development and curriculum of education in England. Many developments in education in England are similar, and in some instances identical, to those of the education systems in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. 9.2. Early Education Schools were in existence in England during the Middle Ages, between the fifth and sixteenth century. Teaching was dominated by Christian churches. In this period, Christian teachings and religious songs called hymns were written in Latin as it was the official language of Christianity. Trainee monks, priests and laypeople were taught to read Christian teachings and hymns in Latin in schools attached to Cathedrals or monasteries. These schools were known as grammar schools, but the learning of grammar as we know it in the present day was not taught in these schools. Students were only taught how to pronounce and read Christian religious texts aloud in Latin. The reading of Latin hymns was also taught in the same way, so that they could be sung in a church choir. The schools in this historical period were referred to as grammar and song schools. They are also known as cathedral schools and chantries. The earliest cathedral schools; Kings School in Canterbury and Kings School in Rochester, were founded in the sixth century.

An apprenticeship was another form of education that was in existence in the medieval period. Students were called apprentices and undertook practical training that was taught by a master craftsman in a trade such as a bakery or a blacksmith. The apprentice or protégé lived and worked with the master craftsmen, usually for seven years, while learning their trade. Apprentices were mainly boys but girls could also become apprentices in trades such as embroidery. The apprentice system was supervised and controlled by organisations of the master craftsmen called trade guilds or by town councils.

By about the ninth century the curriculum in many Cathedral schools also included basic studies of mathematics, astronomy, law, poetry, natural history and music. The purpose of study in these disciplines was to support church activities. For example, mathematics and astronomy were used to develop or maintain the Church calendar while knowledge of law was necessary for the administration of a Church. The study of these disciplines together with Latin was modernised by the twelfth century and became known as liberal arts studies. By the twelfth century, the first universities were established for liberal arts studies, first at Oxford and later at Cambridge. Students from grammar schools were the main entrants to these universities. The control and influence of education by the Christian churches began to weaken from this time. The universities at Oxford and Cambridge also developed curricula in philosophy, medicine and law. The Church was excluded from the control and supervision of these disciplines. The development of grammar schools that were 'independent' of the Christian churches also occurred shortly after this period. An independent grammar school called Eton College was founded in 1440 and Bridgenorth Grammar School was founded in 1503. The latter school was established by the Bridgenorth Town Council and forbad the teaching of pupils by the local clergy. More independent grammar schools continued to be established after the fifteenth century by the endowments of noblemen, wealthy merchants, guilds and town councils.

Clergymen and laypeople learning to read Latin in an English grammar school

Young apprentice bakers in a medieval English bakery.

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Questions (i) Why was it important to study Latin in the medieval schools of Britain? (ii) Why were these schools called grammar and song schools? (iii) What was the 'grammar' that was learned by the students grammar schools? (iv) Is there a difference between grammar and song schools compared to cathedral schools and chantries? (v) Compare and contrast study in cathedral schools and by a master craftsmen. (vi) What are liberal arts studies? Why were they called 'liberal'? (vii) What were the initial factors that started the decline of influence of the Christian Churches in education? State if the following statements are true or false. (i) Latin was a Greek language and the origin of many modern languages such as Italian, Spanish and French as well as the official language of the Vatican. True/False (ii) A church choir is a group of people who sing hymns during a church service. True/False (iii) Students in cathedral schools and chantries learned literature through speaking exercises. True/False (iv) Eton and Bridgenorth Grammar Schools were grammar and song schools. True/False (v) A master craftsmen was someone who was an accomplished senior tradesman. True/False 9.3. Early Modern Education By the nineteenth century there were approximately 800 grammar schools in Britain. This century marked the beginning of the involvement of British governments in school education. Government control of education became a decisive factor in its development and this continues up to the present day. About twenty laws have been passed in the House of Commons between 1841 and 2009 on the supervision, ownership, funding, and curriculum of schools. The involvement of British governments in all areas of education caused a further decline in the influence of the Christian churches in education. Up to this time, education was usually affordable by the privileged classes in Britain. Poor students were only able to enter education through endowments. This inequality was first addressed by the British parliament in 1833 when it voted to provide funds each year for the construction of schools for poor children. In 1840, the Grammar Schools Act broadened the curriculum of grammar schools to include English, European and Ancient languages as well as the science, history, geography and mathematics. Earlier, in 1830, entrance examinations for admission to a university were introduced to improve academic standards in grammar schools and Universities. A series of Elementary Education Acts between 1870 and 1902 enabled the gradual implementation of compulsory education for all children between 5-12 years of age. These acts also created methods for the funding of schools. For example, the Act of 1870 enabled the creation of school boards who were empowered to obtain the cost of children's schooling from the local community. The duties of the school boards were replaced by Local Education Authorities (LEA's) through the Education Act of 1902. These Acts helped to increase the participation of British working class children in education. The schools that were created by these reforms were called elementary schools and taught a curriculum known as the three R's. This was in reference to the teaching of reading writing and 'rithmetic (a popular shortened pronunciation of arithmetic) to six levels. At the sixth level or sixth year, a student was expected to demonstrate these skills. The student had to read with 'fluency and expression', write a short essay topic, a letter or an easy paraphrase and be able to calculate decimal and common fractions. The technique of paraphrase is commonly known as sentence transformation in Vietnam. These early Acts were further

Staff and some students the Ossett Grammar School, in Mayfair, Yorkshire in 1916.

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improved by Education Act of 1918 which raised the age limit for compulsory education of children to 14 years. Questions (i) How was education modernised after the nineteenth century in comparison to previous times? (ii) Why did the influence of Christian churches on education decrease after the nineteenth century? (iii) Explain why successive British Governments became involved in education. (iv) Which Act or Acts were the most important for the development of education in Britain? (v) If you were poor and lived in Britain before 1944 how would you obtain an education? (vi) Why were reading, writing and arithmetic called the three R's? (vii) How does study of the 3 R's compare with education in Vietnam in the same period? State if the following statements are true or false. (i) The privileged classes in Britain were the rich merchants and the nobility of Britain. True/False (ii) The funds that a poor student received for schooling from a rich person or an organisation was called an endowment. True/False (iii) By 1840, students in grammar schools were able to study subjects similar to those studied by students in schools today. True/False (iv) It was illegal for a child over 12 years old not to attend school for some part of the day after 1902. True/False (v) You could become an apprentice if you were 15 years of age after 1902. True/False 9.4. Primary and Secondary Education The next major reform of education was through the 1944 Education Act which introduced several major improvements to school education. Firstly, it made education completely free for all elementary schools by funding from the British government. The Act also restructured elementary education into primary and secondary education and divided the secondary education system into grammar schools and secondary modern schools. The age for compulsory education of children was also increased to 15 years. Further increases to the age limits have occurred since then. The 1944 Education Act is also known as the Butler Act, in recognition of the Conservative politician R.A. Butler who was responsible for drafting it. The Act stipulated that children between 5 and 11 years of age should receive a 'primary education'. Schools teaching children in this age group became known as primary schools. Students in these primary schools were taught reading and writing in English and a second language such as French or Latin, arithmetic, science, history, geography, music and religion. These studies continued to an advanced level during their secondary schooling.

In their last year of primary schooling, at the age 11-12 years, students undertook the 11plus examination. A student's results from this test decided whether he or she would enter a grammar school or a secondary modern school. The examination consisted of three parts: a section on problem solving in arithmetic, an essay writing section on a general topic and another section on problem solving that tested a student's general knowledge and logical skill. If a student's 11plus results were in the top 25% of results for all primary schools they would be eligible to enter a grammar school. Grammar schools had a reputation for academic excellence and pupils were prepared for university education.

They sat for public exams in the final year of their study to enter into a University. Students who had scores that were below 75% of all 11plus results had to enter a secondary modern school. The academic level in these schools was insufficient for students to prepare for public examinations to enter into Universities.

Primary school students from Newtown, Cheshire, North West England in their classroom in the 1950's.

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Instead, secondary modern schools could only provide education necessary for employment in manual, skilled and clerical jobs. Students of the privileged classes enrolled their children to fee-paying preparatory schools up to the age of 11 or 13 for their primary education. Similar examinations were also available for students of preparatory schools in the last year of their schooling to enter an independent (fee paying) grammar school. Leading independent grammar schools are also called 'Public schools'. Some examples of these elite schools are Eton College, Harrow School, Rugby School and Winchester College. These exclusive public schools were founded in the Middle Ages and have educated children from the upper class and nobility of Britain to the present day. There were no secondary modern schools within the independent fee paying institutions. Questions (i) Why did the British government have to make laws so that children would attend schools? (ii) If you were poor how did you obtain an education in England after 1944? (iii) Would you have had a better education in an elementary school or a primary school? (iv) Why was the primary school examination called 11plus? (v) Why did the students in the last year of primary school have the 11plus examination? (vi) If 10,000 students took the 11plus exam in England in 1955 and 1500 students got a total score between 100%, and 75%. How many students would enter a secondary modern school the next year? (vii) Compare and contrast the 11 plus examination with exams for Vietnamese students of the same age. (viii) Why did independent schools not accept or follow the reforms of the 1944 Education Act? State if the following statements are true or false. (i) By 1944, elementary education consisted of primary schools, grammar schools and secondary schools. True/False (ii) The Butler Act developed the curriculum of the compulsory elementary education to a similar standard imposed on Grammar schools one hundred years earlier. True/False (iii) The examination at the end of primary school was called the 11plus exam because students were usually between the age of eleven and twelve. True/False (iv) Students were not allowed to sit for a University entrance examination if they attended a secondary modern school. True/False (v) After 1902, you could become an apprentice if you were 15 years of age. True/False 9.5. Comprehensive schools and the National Curriculum The division of students at the end of their primary schooling into either grammar schools or secondary modern schools by their results from the 11plus examination was called streaming. The system of streaming was criticized by many educationalists, local educational authorities (LEA's), parents and politicians for several reasons. Firstly, the low academic standards provided by secondary modern schools made it difficult, if not impossible, for students in secondary modern schools to gain entry and succeed in higher education. Secondly, if students could not enter a grammar school due to their 11plus score they lost their chance to improve their ability for a higher academic level when they were older. Therefore, the 11plus

examination was considered an unfair test of a student's future academic potential. Thirdly, in some areas of Britain, the local authorities did not have the resources to create the two separate types of schools, thus creating problems for LEA's. The dissatisfaction with steaming led to the gradual implementation of comprehensive (secondary) schools and the discontinuation of the 11plus examination. These comprehensive schools were created by the amalgamation of existing grammar schools and secondary modern schools. They are also known as 'Comprehensives'. The equivalent of a comprehensive in many other parts of the world is a 'high school'. Primary school students did not have to pass an examination, such as 11plus, to enter a

Ladywood Comprehensive School, Birmingham, in 1976 showing the growing ethnic diversity of schools in England at this time.

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comprehensive and all students entering a comprehensive had access to the curriculum and academic standards of a grammar school. Later, when new government schools were built they were designed as comprehensive schools. The age limit for compulsory education was raised to 16 years in 1973 and students had to undertake work experience in the last year of schooling. By 1975, most of the LEA's in England and Wales had abolished the 11-plus examination and had adopted the comprehensive system. Comprehensives have enabled millions of school children in government schools to gain access to higher education after completion of their secondary studies. This did not happen in the former system of streaming. At the present time, approximately ninety percent of British students attend Comprehensives. Most of the fee paying exclusive independent grammar schools of the middle and upper classes of Britain did not join the comprehensive system. The next significant development of education, since the Butler Act of 1944, was the Education Reform Act of 1988. This Act introduced a National Curriculum for all primary and secondary government schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This meant that schools across these three regions of Britain had to teach their students the same syllabus that was specified in the National Curriculum (see below).

Syllabus of the Current National Curriculum Key Stage 1 2 3 4 Approximate age of student (years) 5-7 7-11 11-14 14-16 Curriculum English Compulsory Compulsory Compulsory Compulsory Mathematics Compulsory Compulsory Compulsory Compulsory Science Compulsory Compulsory Compulsory Compulsory Physical Education Compulsory Compulsory Compulsory Compulsory Information and Communication Technology Compulsory Compulsory Compulsory Compulsory Music Compulsory Compulsory Compulsory Option A History Compulsory Compulsory Compulsory Option B Geography Compulsory Compulsory Compulsory Option B Art and Design Compulsory Compulsory Compulsory Option A Design and Technology Compulsory Compulsory Compulsory Options Modern Foreign language Compulsory Options Citizenship Compulsory Compulsory Exclusive fee paying independent schools of the middle and upper classes were exempt from this Act. The four 'Key Stages', in this curriculum are defined by the age of students. In Key Stage 4 students have several choices for four subjects (see table above). They have the choice of one arts subject (from options A), a humanities subject (from options B) and choices from a design and technology subjects and modern foreign languages. Schools have to also provide additional non-examinable teaching in religious studies for students in Key stages 1, 2, 3 and 4. Sex and relationship education known as SRE is also to be taught to students in stages 3 and 4. Students at stages 3 and 4 also have to undertake careers education and work experience training. Parents have the choice to allow or disallow their children from undertaking religious studies and some parts of SRE. The Education Reform Act of 1988 also introduced National Curriculum assessments for students. They are called Standard Assessment Tests and are also known as Sats (or SATs). Sats examinations are held at the end of each academic year, in July. The assessments were introduced in 1991, 1995 and 1998 for students in Key Stages 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The results of these assessments are used to compare the performance of schools by the Sats scores of their students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Parents were given the choice to select a school for their children based on Sats results. As with steaming, Sats has also been unpopular with some educationalists as it was claimed that schools can be given a 'good' or 'bad' reputation based upon Sats results. Usually, this meant schools in poor areas of Britain, such as in the North where there are social disadvantages would have 'bad' results. The current British government has proposed that in the future, primary and secondary schools will be a graded from A to F in a "report card" that will rate each school by their students' performance in examinations, truancy rates, pupil behaviour and health. Due to administrative problems, the Sats examination for Key Stage 3 was abolished in 2009. External examinations and internal assessments during Key Stages 3 and 4 are combined to award students a General Certificate of Secondary Education popularly referred to as the GCSE.

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Questions (i) Explain in your own words the meaning of streaming. Is it a fair system? (ii) Why has the British Government increased the age of compulsory education so many times and wants increase it in the future? (iii) Do students have a better education in Comprehensives compared to a secondary modern school? (iv) Why was the Education Reform Act of 1988 the most important development in education, since the Butler Act? (v) Name an arts subject, a humanities subject and a modern language subject in the National Curriculum. (vi) Why do students have to undertake work experience in Key Stage 3 and 4? (vii) Is the Sats test a good evaluation of a school or would a report card be a better test? Explain why. State if the following statements are true or false. (i) The age limit for compulsory attendance of schools was increased four times between 1870 and 1973.

True/False (ii) A comprehensive school is not a secondary school. True/False (iii) The ages of students educated in Comprehensives are usually between 11 and 16. True/False (iv) A student must undertake 11 years of compulsory education in Britain in 2009. True/False (v) There are 10 compulsory subjects in Stages 1 and 2 and 12 compulsory subjects in key Stages 3 and 4 of the National Curriculum. True/False (v) Students have options in four subjects in key Stage 4. True/False 9.6. An interview with a teacher at a primary school. Listen to the conversation and fill in the blanks with the word you hear. Teacher: We have what we call K___ S____ _ assessment tasks for children, and that's at the end of s____

years of age. ___ _____ _ are eleven years of age. And now you find that the girls are doing better at all key

stages up to G___ and _ l____. So it's a concern.

Interviewer: And can you tell us a bit more about the curriculum? ... The N_______ C________ ...

Teacher: Yes, well we've got, we're involved in a numeracy project, maths, and we've got a set amount of

work for that. We've got a set amount of time set aside for E______ ... because we want to give children

who are actually coming out of school a number of basic skills in life, not just to get a job, you know, a

variety of things. So we've got, so we have _______ and m____ as the main subjects that we actually do in

the morning. And the three c___ subjects are _______, m____ and s______. And then we have a variety of

other subjects which we support, RE, that's r________ e________, IT, i__________ t_________ and DT,

d_____ t_________, a__, m____, PE, that's p_______ e________ and h______, g________, all those

subjects have to be included as well in the curriculum, you know, so the time scales are very, very tight. So

we actually have a planned programme of work – topic work – to take into account h______ and

g________, but it's very, very difficult to get everything done adequately, within the time that we have.

Interviewer: And how many hours are the students, the pupils at school?

Teacher: Well we start 9 o'clock till 12, then 1 o'clock till quarter past 3. So that's the length ... and five days a week.

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Questions. (i) How many hours per week of study time do British children have at primary school? (ii) How does this compare with Vietnam? 9.7 An interview with the Headmaster of Bablake School in Coventry. Listen to the conversation and fill in the blanks with the word you hear. Headmaster: Well, if I start by saying that Bablake is an i__________ school, do you know what I mean by __________?

Interviewer: Yeah, but it might be good if you tell us what exactly...

Headmaster: OK. In England, there are in effect two types of school. There is a m_________ school, which

is really run by the l____ a_________, which is responsible to the g__________, and then there is the

_________ school, which is really independent of local authority and to some extent independent of the

government, and which is known as the f__-p_____ s_____. So the parents who come, who send their

children to B______ will pay directly to the school, to have their children educated. So on that basis, as I

say, B______ is an i_________school. We're also a s________ school which means that parents who want

their children to come here, I only take the children if they've passed an e____e___. And the children have

to sit a v_____ r________ paper, an E______ paper and a m____ paper and they also have to have a good

report from their current headteacher, right? So we are, as I said, i__________ and s________. We're also a

highly academic school, and our exam results are exceptionally high. We have nearly a hundred per cent

pass rate at G___ ... I don't know if you're familiar with G___, at 16, and over 95% will go on to

u_________. So it's very high. And I take really the top ten, maybe down to the top 15% of the academic

range. So, you know, our standards are high, and the expectations of the pupils are that they will get good

exam results, and then go on to university.

Interviewer: Are most i__________ schools s________ or .....?

Headmaster: The vast majority are s________. Some are more s_________ than others, because they can

afford to be that way, and particularly d__ schools, which is what B______ is, a d__ school. You also have

some b_______ independent schools and they tend – although there are again exceptions – but they tend to

be less s________, because they don't have the choice. I have two, at least two girls and boys competing for

every one place, so you know, there is competition to get into the school. And we are c_-e___________,

which means that we have boys and girls here. A lot of independent schools tend to be s_____ s___. They

cater for girls or boys.

Interviewer: Have you adopted the N_______ C_________?

Headmaster: We have to a certain extent, but the N_______ C________ is fairly constraining in what you

can offer, so what I say to parents is that we offer the N_______ C_________, but also a lot more. And we

try and gear our curriculum to the needs of the pupils. So we offer more l________, we offer more s______,

we offer, you know, more I_, more g____, than a school that follows completely the N_______

C_________. But we have to follow very much what goes on in the national sector, because although we're

i__________, we are really part of the whole education system of Great Britain.

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Interviewer: Do you have many e_____ g_____ in your school?

Headmaster: Yes, we do. Yes.

Interviewer: How many?

Headmaster: Seven or eight, I think. Yes ... yes ... don't quote me on that. We have ... we have H_____, we

have S____, we have M______, we've got J___, we've got A___-C_________, we've got C______, so

maybe we're up to about eight already on that basis. So there is at least 20% of the school population is of an

ethnic group outside of C________.

Interviewer: Are they B______ ... or B______ citizens?

Headmaster: They regard themselves as being B______ citizens, yes. And you know, most of them are

s_____ generation or sometimes even third generation, so they regard themselves as being B______ ... or

E______. Yes, yes, very much so. And they're actually quite proud ... I mean they're proud to be B______,

but they're also proud of what they are, you know H____, or M_____ or S____, or ... or whatever.

Interviewer: And do you have to take this very much into account in the organisation of the school? I mean,

are there any special arrangements, say for M______, or ...

Headmaster: No. No, we don't really make any special consideration. I mean, they come to the school for

an education, they don't really come to school for r_______ purposes. So we are a C________ foundation,

but we recognise the other e_____ groups and their r_______, and we teach all the children about the

different ethnic groups and their various religions. But I think once you start to make (coughs) ... excuse me

... special arrangements, then you start to highlight one particular group. So, you know we will celebrate

special occasions, so ... you know the festival of light, D_____, the J_____ New Year, the C______New

Year, all of these occasions will be mentioned. And we will celebrate them as a whole school, simply by

acknowledging them. But ... and well that's really the only special occasions and special thing that we do.

Questions (i) Find out whether Bablake is located in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. (ii) What type of school is Bablake? (iii) Explain what the Headmaster means when he says Bablake is a selective school? What are the examples does he give to prove that Bablake is selective? (iv) How many students at Bablake pass the GSCE? How many enter University? (v) How many are from an Ethnic group?

(vi) How does Bablake compare with a school in Vietnam? (vi) What does the headmaster mean by ' third generation'? 9.8 A Scottish student called Alastaire talks about his school. Listen to the conversation and answer the question.

Interviewer: Tell me about your school, please.

Alastair: It's a large school. Holds about 1,200 pupils. The teachers are on the whole friendly but there's the odd exception. The pupils, it's ... comes from quite a wide base. There's a few different cultures here but

Bablake School, Coventry.

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everyone seems to get on quite well. There's not too much aggro, there's not too much fighting or anything. So, I mean it's a good school, it's got quite a good tradition and a high standard of education. It's quite renowned for being pretty good at sports: like rugby and football.

Question. What are the features of the school that are important to Alastaire? 9.9 Five students choose the most important qualities in a teacher. Listen to the conversation and fill in the blanks with the word you hear. Interviewer: What do you think is the most important quality in a teacher?

Student 1: I think it's someone who you can respect, but who isn't too i____________.

Student 2: 1 think getting the point across, really. E________ things simply. 'Cause otherwise you're never

going to learn anything I mean.

Student 3: 1 would say the ability to c___________ what he wants to teach you in a way which makes you

i__________. And in theory, that should mean that his personality doesn't have to be quite so important.

Student 4: 1 think it's a______________. If you've got a p______, I really think you should be able to go up

to the teacher and say 'Look, I've got a p______' and then expect the teacher to help you. Also, you've got to

have a teacher who sort of i_______ you, i_______ confidence – his techniques are good. They're the most

important qualities for me. Someone who you can get on with but is teaching you, teaching you well, and

he's not teaching down to you.

Student 5: The teacher himself has to be good. But also it really ought to be ... he ought to be a sort of

n___p_____ that you can t____ or talk to.

Exercise. Write down the qualities of a teacher that are important to these students.

Student 1

Student 2

Student 3

Student 4

Student 5

Questions. (i) Can you find all these qualities a teacher? (ii) What is your experience? (iii) Which quality do you value most in a teacher?

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9.10. Further Education and Higher Education After students finish their compulsory secondary education they have several choices. They can choose to enter the workforce but finding a permanent job at sixteen has become very rare in Britain. Therefore, in present times young students after completing their GSCE will choose further education. Further education refers to education undertaken after GSCE such as an apprenticeship or what is known as 'sixth form'. An apprenticeship is classified as vocational training as the apprentice learns a trade by working in a business such as an automotive repairer, hotel or hairdressing salon. The apprentice has to also attend a trade school to obtain a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) for their trade. They earn a small allowance while undertaking their apprenticeship. Students who do not undertake apprenticeships can continue their education from Key Stage 4 to 'sixth form' for a further two years. Students currently study 3 subjects in each of sixth form study. They can choose their subjects from a wide variety of subjects in the sciences, arts, humanities business and commerce. For each chosen subject they are tested at the Advanced Subsidiary level (AS level) at the end of the first year of their study. At the end of the second year they sit for a higher test for the same subject called an A2 examination. The satisfactory completion of AS and A2 for each of at least three subjects is required to award the student with Advanced Level General Certificate of Education popularly known as 'A-level' or 'A-levels'. Students who obtain an A-level can enter university or other higher education institutions. Their entry is based upon the results of their A-level examinations. A- Levels are undertaken by students in most Commonwealth countries and are the common entry qualification to enter a university in these countries. University education is referred to as 'higher education' where students study for an academic degree. The first degree offered at British universities is the Bachelor's degree which entails three years of study. Students are called undergraduates during this time of study. Graduates with a first degree can continue their studies by taking a Masters degree, usually for one year or a Doctorate which is usually three years of study and research. Graduates undertaking a Masters or Doctorate are referred to as postgraduate students. The government funds all undergraduate higher education but the cost of tuition fees has to be paid by

undergraduates. Fees in 2009 were £3,225 per year. Students do not have to pay these fees while they are undergraduates. The fees are repayable after graduation when a graduate is earning more than £15,000 a year. Postgraduate education is selectively funded by the government and other organisations. Postgraduates pay approximately £3,000 to £50000 per year in fees depending on their university. International students pay between approximately £11,000 and £23,000 for undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Some universities offer scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate studies.

Questions (i) What trade would an apprentice learn in an automotive business, a hotel and a hairdressing salon? (ii) What are the differences between a GSCE and an A-level? (iii) What are the differences between an apprenticeship and sixth form? (iii) What is the difference between compulsory education, further education and higher education? (iv) Compare and contrast A-Level study in Britain with studies in a high school in Vietnam. (iv) What is the difference between an undergraduate and a postgraduate? State if the following statements are true or false. (i) Studying in 'sixth form' is same as studying for A-levels. True/False (ii) The Advanced Level General Certificate of Education is a higher education qualification. True/False (iii) The study of a first degree at a university can be undertaken by sixth form students who pass their A-levels. True/False

Aerial view of Oxford University.

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10.1. Introduction Sport has been a very important part of British culture. Since the Middle Ages, the love for sporting activities by the British has led to their invention of many types of sports. Many team sports such as soccer, rugby, cricket, baseball and hockey were first developed and played in Britain. Individual games and sports such as golf, and boxing also originated from Britain. Other individual games that originate from Britain, which are also played in teams of two persons, are tennis, snooker, billiards, table tennis, badminton and squash. The creation of such a large number of major sports and games that are now followed internationally makes Britain the most significant contributor to the world of sport. The most popular team sport in Britain is soccer. The next most popular team sport is cricket followed by rugby. Both sports are mainly enjoyed in England and Wales. Some of the most popular individual sports in Britain are horseracing and golf. In this chapter we will focus on cricket and rugby as they the least known of British sports in Vietnam. Question - Explain the meaning of a team sport and an individual sport. Exercise - Find out about the games called hockey, golf, snooker, table tennis, badminton and squash and explain it to the class. 10.2. Cricket Cricket is a summer sport and originated in England. It is the national sport of England and Wales. The biggest rival of the English cricket team, since 1882, is the Australian national team. These two teams have a competition called The Tests for a trophy called The Ashes. These games are held approximately every two years. This type of a cricket game is also known as a Test match. The English national team also has test matches with the national teams of other cricketing countries such as the West Indies, South Africa, Zimbabwe, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. A test match is one of the longest sporting games. Each match is scheduled for five days of cricket. The aim of a cricket game is to score the most number of runs by batting a leather ball in an oval cricket field that has a diameter between 137 metres and 150 metres. A bowler runs (fig. A1) up to the bowling crease on a cricket pitch (picture D) and bowls the ball (fig. A2) to a

A1

A2

B

C

D E

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batsman who tries to bat the ball (fig. B and C). The batsman has a partner at the bowling crease (picture C and figure D). The bowling team has fielders (figure E) who try to catch the ball when it is batted to stop the batsman from running to the opposite wicket (beyond the popping crease; picture D) and thereby scoring a run. The batsman tries to bat the ball somewhere in the cricket field and will take one to three runs with his partner, if the fielders (figure E) cannot catch the ball and run-out the batmen (explained below). If the ball reaches the edge of the cricket field called the boundary after touching the ground, the batsman will get four runs which is known as 'a four'. If the batsman bats the ball over the boundary in the air he will get six runs and this is known as 'a six'. The batsmen do not have to run for a 'four' or a 'six'. Each game has two umpires (an umpire is visible in black trousers in picture C) who make sure that the game is played according to the rules or laws of cricket. The bowling team has eleven fielders and the batting team has eleven batsmen. If a batsman is ruled out (explained below) he can no longer bat and he has to leave the cricket field while another batsman replaces him. The batting team can bat until ten batsmen are out. This is called an innings. The bowling side after a brief rest will start their own batting innings while the previous batting side will start their bowling innings. The most runs scored by a team from two innings of the same test match are the winners of the game. There are four main ways a batsman can be ruled 'out'. If a fielder catches a batted ball while it is in the air before touching the ground the batsmen is ruled to be 'caught' and is ruled to be 'out'. The batsman can also be 'bowled' when the ball bowled by the bowler strikes any of the three wickets or bails covering the tops of the wicket (picture C). Where a bowled ball strikes the batsmen's legs without touching his bat the umpire could rule him out by being 'leg before wicket' or LBW. A batsman can also be 'run-out' by not reaching either the batting or bowling popping crease (figure D) while he is taking a run or runs before the wickets or bails are broken with the ball by fielding side.

England's 1st Innings against the West Indies on 29-1-2009 at St Kitts. English Batsman's name Names of West Indies fielders and bowlers Batsman's Runs or score Fours Sixes1. Strauss Bowled by Wallace 97 16 1 2. Cook Caught by Johnson bowled by McClean 0 0 0 3. Bell Bowled by Wallace 52 8 0 4. Pietersen Bowled by Jaggernauth 90 17 0 5. Collingwood Caught by Johnson, bowled by McClean 82 5 3 6. Shah LBW, bowled by Jaggernauth 9 2 0 7. Prior run out 36 2 0 8. Swann Caught by Sammy, bowled by Wallace 12 2 0 9. Sidebottom Caught and bowled by Bess 18 3 0 10. Harmison Caught and bowled by McClean 1 0 0 11. Anderson not out 1 0 0 Extras 16 Total score 414

The scorecard above examples the batting of the English team against the bowlers and fielders of the West Indian team in a test match played in St Kitts in the eastern Caribbean in January 2009. England has many world famous cricket grounds such as the Lords, The Oval, Headingly, Old Trafford, Edgbaston and Trent Bridge. These cricketing venues originated around the mid-eighteenth century and are steeped in tradition and history. In contrast to the reputation for hooliganism of British soccer fans, English cricket fans are well behaved. The English cricket team has thousands of loyal supporters who follow the team around the world to support and watch them play. Since the test tour of Australia in 1995, these supporters have become popularly known

Members of the Barmy Army cheering the English cricket team at the Sydney Cricket Grounds in Australia.

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as 'the Barmy Army'. Cricket is now also an international women's sport. Questions (i) Why is a cricket match is called 'a test'? (ii) Name the people in picture C. (iii) During a batting innings how many batsmen, fielders and umpires are in the cricket field? (iv) How many ways can a batsman be out? (v) Where is the West Indies? (vi) How many runs did Strauss score by fours and sixes for England against the West Indies? (vii) Who were the best batsmen for England? Why do you think so? (viii) Who were the best bowlers for the West Indies? Why do you think so? (ix) How many English batsmen were out while taking a run? (x) Why was Anderson not out? 10.3. Rugby The sport of rugby originated in Rugby School, a famous public school in the West Midlands of England. It was developed for about two hundred years from football (the old name for soccer) before the first rules of this game was published in 1845 by three Rugby schoolboys. Since then, this sport has divided into two types of games; rugby union and rugby league. Rugby union is a winter sport while rugby league has recently become a summer sport. Rugby union is also known as 'rugby' and has a greater following than rugby league. It is popular sport across the United Kingdom and in many countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and South America. It is also more popular than cricket in Scotland, Northern Ireland and internationally.

(B) A tackle

(C) a scrum

(A) Field positions

(D) A lineout

(E) A rugby ball

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A rugby union field is rectangular and is usually 100 metres long and 70 metres wide (Figure A). The game is played by two teams of fifteen players. Each team is divided into eight forwards (numbers 1 to 8 in Figure A) and seven backs (numbers 9 to 15 in Figure A). The task of the forwards is to wrest the oval shaped leather ball (Picture E) from the opposition team to the backs who are fast runners. This increases teams' chances of scoring a try (figure a). Unlike cricket, rugby is a contact sport. Players push, tackle (Picture B) wrestle and maul with the opposition team for possession of the ball in scrums and lineouts (Pictures C-D).

The aim of the game is for a team to score more tries, conversions, drop goals and penalties than the opposition team during the eighty minute game. A team will score a try when one of the teams' players presses the ball on the ground over the tryline of the other team (figure a). A try earns a team five points and a free kick. If the ball from the free kick is kicked from the ground through the H shaped goalposts and above the horizontal bar (figure b) the team earns a conversion of two extra points. A free kick can also be awarded for a penalty and earns three points if kicked through the goalposts in the same way as for a try (figure c). A team can also score three points by a drop goal by a drop kick through goalposts where the ball is dropped by a player on the ground before he kicks it (figure d). Questions (i) Compare and contrast rugby union with rugby league. (ii) Compare and contrast soccer and rugby union. (iii) Compare and contrast a test match and a game of rugby union. (iv) What were the scores for England and Australia at Twickenham? Who won the game? (v) Who was the best kicker of the ball? Explain.

(a) A try

(b) A conversion of a try

(c) A conversion of penalty.

(d) A drop goal

England vs. Australia on 15 November 2008, at Twickenham, England. England Australia Tries Easter Ashley-Cooper

Conversions - Giteau Penalties Cipriani (two) Giteau (six) Mortlock Drop Goals D Armitage -

0. british studies (student textbook)

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